Retired university professor and former Trinidad and Tobago senator Patrick Watson has warned that the recent escalation of U.S. military operations in the southern Caribbean is less about combating narcotics and more about pursuing regime change in Venezuela. Speaking during an online presentation on September 4, Watson said the destruction of a small Venezuelan vessel — which left 11 people dead — and the deployment of a U.S. naval flotilla suggest a broader strategic campaign aimed at ousting President Nicolás Maduro.
“The U.S. government has never made a secret of its dislike for the Chávez-Maduro administration,” Watson argued. “There is evidence, past and present, that Washington has taken action against the regime to achieve regime change. I think this is part of that activity.”
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Watson, professor emeritus at the University of the West Indies, noted that Washington’s antagonism toward Caracas spans decades. He cited U.S. support for the failed 2002 coup against Hugo Chávez, recognition of opposition leader Juan Guaidó as “interim president,” and layers of sanctions that he described as crippling for Venezuela’s economy. He also recalled that the Trump administration increased a bounty on Maduro to US$50 million, underscoring what he called “a strategy of maximum pressure.” While stressing he is “no supporter of Maduro,” Watson emphasized the principle of sovereignty. “If he has to be dealt with, he must be dealt with by the people of Venezuela and nobody else,” he said.
The U.S. has deployed at least seven warships, a nuclear-powered submarine, and 4,500 sailors and Marines to the region since mid-August. According to Watson, the scale of the build-up is reminiscent of the Cuban Missile Crisis. On September 4, two Venezuelan F-16 fighter jets flew low over the USS Jason Dunham, an Aegis guided-missile destroyer, in what U.S. officials described as a “show of force.” Two days earlier, Washington released footage of what it called a “kinetic strike” on a suspected drug-running vessel. All 11 people aboard were killed.
“The Trump administration reported the destruction of a boat with 11 occupants. There were no survivors,” Watson said. “No attempt at all was made to intercept the vessel and arrest the occupants, which would have been the rule-of-law approach. Everything was blown away. Dead men tell no tales.”
The attack sparked sharp debate in Trinidad and Tobago after Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar praised the U.S. action, saying: “I have no sympathy for traffickers; the U.S. military should kill them all violently.” Watson blasted the comment as reckless. “Our government has responded with words that are shocking,” he said. “The Prime Minister’s remark has since been rebuked both at home and abroad for being intemperate and unstatesmanlike.”
Human Rights Watch echoed his concerns. Sarah Yager, the group’s Washington director, called the strike an “unlawful extrajudicial killing” and warned that it set a dangerous precedent. “The U.S. cannot simply use lethal force on anyone it wishes,” she said. “Criminal suspects should be prosecuted in a court of law, not executed at sea.” Watson warned that the endorsement of such tactics could place T&T nationals in danger, especially fisherfolk operating near the Venezuelan border who now fear they could be mistaken for smugglers.
Reactions have been mixed across the hemisphere. Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro condemned the strike as “murder,” while Venezuelan officials accused Washington of “open aggression” and denounced Persad-Bissessar’s statement. Russia also condemned the action, accusing the U.S. of undermining regional security. Meanwhile, some Caribbean governments have quietly welcomed Washington’s hard line, seeing it as a deterrent to trafficking networks that destabilize their borders.
Watson drew parallels with past U.S. interventions in Libya, Iraq, Afghanistan, Grenada, Chile, and Guyana. “The U.S. is famous for effecting regime change in the region,” he said. “It is not a virgin when it comes to this kind of activity.” He further warned Caribbean leaders against normalizing extrajudicial killings, pointing to former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, who is now facing proceedings at the International Criminal Court for his drug war policies.
“This is not to say that people must love drug traffickers,” Watson said. “But there is due process to be followed. You don’t just start executing people. That is madness.” In his closing remarks, Watson accused Washington of acting above international law. “The U.S. lays down the law, just like its compadre Israel,” he said. “It seems to believe it is above the law and can get away with it.”
For Watson, the concern is not just about Venezuela but about the precedent being set in the Caribbean itself. “This is a very, very worrisome development,” he concluded. “In all my years in Trinidad, I have never seen such an open embrace of aggression.”
