Trump’s U.N. Address Offers a Doctrine of Peace Through Force
“The cartels are the ISIS of the Western Hemisphere—not good people,” he said. “Like ISIS, they should be killed, exiled, or detained as enemy combatants without the possibility of release, which is what we’re doing.”
But while these messages are largely meant to promote the very strength that Trump relies upon in his endeavors, the potency of his remarks may be dwindling amid contested claims of success.
Venezuela is Trump’s ‘peace through strength’ model. But Iran is testing its limits
Kristian Coates Ulrichsen, a fellow for the Middle East at the Baker Institute, tells TIME that Trump’s speech seems “consistent with the narrative of American dominance” that he has long used to justify military action.
Trump suggested Tuesday that he considers Venezuela a leading example. In January, the U.S. military launched Operation Absolute Resolve—a nighttime raid in Caracas that captured Venezuela’s president Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. Both were transported to New York City to face federal drug-trafficking indictments.
