Commentary
It seems not a question of whether the United States was now prepared to bring its conflict with Venezuela to a head; by mid-October, it was merely a matter of when and to what degree it would be brought to a resolution.
A boat burns off the coast of Venezuela in this screen grab taken from a video released on Oct. 14, 2025, depicting what President Donald Trump said on a post on Truth Social was a U.S. strike on a suspected drug-trafficking boat. President Donald Trump via Truth Social via Reuters
Gregory Copley
Author
Gregory Copley is president of the Washington-based International Strategic Studies Association and editor-in-chief of the “Defense & Foreign Affairs” series of publications. Born in Australia, Copley is an entrepreneur, writer, government adviser, defense publication editor, and Member of the Order of Australia. His latest and 37th book is “The Noble State: Governance Options in an Ignoble Era.”
