This Monday, November 3, the deadline for US operations in the Caribbean and the Eastern Pacific expires, according to the War Powers Resolution, which establishes that war operations must end 60 days after their start, if Congress has not approved them.
According to US legislation approved in 1973, as of this Monday, November 3, military deployment and attacks in Caribbean waters should cease.
According to the legal framework of the United States, when the president introduces his country’s armed forces into “hostilities” or warlike action without a declaration of war or specific authorization from Congress, “the 60-day clock” is activated.
President Donald Trump notified Congress about the first attack of his operation on September 4, which means the 60th day expires this Monday. However, some national media claim that the Department of Justice has stated that the White House’s military strikes in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific can continue.
However, other media and international agencies highlight that Trump maintains that he does not require authorization from Congress to carry out military attacks against alleged drug trafficking groups in Latin America.
According to a report from The Washington Post, the US administration has intensified operations with drones, ships and troops, relying on a legal interpretation that excludes these actions from the category of “hostilities” contemplated in the aforementioned legislation.
However, former State Department lawyers involved in the review and application of the War Powers Resolution argue that, due to the unprecedented nature of the power the Executive is exercising over the use of war, this legal condition opens up a series of options – primarily in Congress – for its application to be demanded.
The hostile campaign ordered by President Donald Trump in the Caribbean and the Eastern Pacific has so far claimed the lives of 65 people, of whom at least 10 were extrajudicially murdered in Venezuela’s international waters.
