The War on Drugs Goes to Sea: US Strikes and International Law

In this episode of Sala de Estratégia, Bruno Mendelsky and Guilherme Frizzera discuss developments in the Caribbean and the Eastern Pacific. Since September 2025, the United States has carried out at least 16 lethal strikes against vessels in international waters, officially framed as counternarcotics operations. On October 31, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights stated that these strikes violate international humanitarian law and may constitute international crimes. However, a deeper issue is at play: Donald Trump's rhetoric goes beyond targeting drug cartels. It criminalizes heads of state, equates sovereign governments with terrorist organizations, and uses the war on drugs as a pretext for far broader geopolitical objectives. Bruno Mendelsky, PhD in International Relations from the University of Brasília (UnB), explains that the United States has historically been the largest drug consumer market in the Americas. Over the decades, Washington has pursued various strategies to curb this demand. Most illicit drugs consumed in the US originate in South America—produced in Colombia, Bolivia, and Peru—and are typically trafficked through Mexico. What shifted recently is the adoption of an exceptionally aggressive posture: by classifying drug trafficking syndicates as terrorist organizations, the US administration creates domestic political leverage to justify military strikes on maritime vessels. Mendelsky emphasizes that these strikes are illegal. They operate outside the framework of international law because the targets are civilians, and civilians cannot be summarily executed. There is no presentation of evidence or prior attempt at non-lethal interception; effectively, these operations amount to extrajudicial executions. Guilherme Frizzera, PhD in International Relations from UnB and coordinating professor at Uninter, highlights another dimension of the issue. The administration is actively constructing a narrative that criminalizes heads of state, reflecting a recurring trope in the US that paints Latin American nations as narco-states—presuming an inherent link between sovereign governments and drug trafficking. Labeling nations as narco-states leads directly to viewing their leaders as heads of criminal cartels synonymous with the state itself. Just as the "terrorist state" label justified sweeping counterterrorism measures a decade or two ago, the same logic is now applied to narcotics. By conflating trafficking networks with state power, any measure—including actions directed against sitting presidents—is treated as legitimate. The discussion also tackles a fundamental legal question: these strikes take place in international waters, outside any sovereign national jurisdiction. This represents one of the clearest real-world manifestations of international anarchy. Beyond the boundaries of territorial seas, the waters belong to no single nation, raising the critical question of who granted the United States the authority to police the high seas. The episode further explores whether Washington is effectively reviving the Monroe Doctrine, the specific implications for Venezuela, and the broader outlook for regional international relations, bridging international law, geopolitics, security, and the limits of American hegemony. Originally broadcast in Portuguese by Relações Exteriores: https://relacoesexteriores.com.br/a-guerra-as-drogas-vai-ao-mar-os-ataques-dos-eua-e-o-direito-internacional/