Uncommon Knowledge: Trump ‘Armada’ Against Venezuela Carries Echoes of Iraq

This week, the White House christened illicit fentanyl and its “core precursors” a weapon of mass destruction, following President Donald Trump’s contention, referring to Venezuela, that “thousands of people are dying because of those boatloads of drugs, fentanyl and a lot of other drugs.” A day later, Trump announced a “total and complete blockade” of all sanctioned oil tankers entering or leaving Venezuela amid operations against “narco-terrorism.” In international law, a blockade isn’t tough-talk for sanctions—it is usually treated as an act of war. The juxtaposition invited an immediate historical comparison, and one that is particularly awkward for Trump. Trump…