The doctrine of preventive and pre-emptive strike, once defended as a tool to neutralise danger, has instead evolved into one of the most destabilising forces of the modern era. It was misused in Iraq, misapplied in Afghanistan, refined by Israel across the Middle East, and has now begun reshaping US policy in the Western Hemisphere with dangerous momentum.
A strategy designed to stop future conflict is in reality manufacturing perpetual instability, radicalization, and blowback that reaches far beyond the battlefield. Today it resurfaces in Venezuela and Colombia, where US’ kinetic actions mirror the same flawed logic that once plunged entire regions into chaos.
Washington now accuses Venezuela’s leadership of facilitating narcotics trafficking—including fentanyl, cocaine, heroin, and synthetic opioids—into the United States. Acting on these claims, US forces have destroyed 21 Venezuelan maritime vessels, including a mini-submarine, multiple fishing boats, and coastal carriers allegedly tied to smuggling networks. Venezuela has condemned these strikes as “acts of war,” and nationwide protests demand retaliation. As naval deployments increase and rhetoric hardens, the region inches toward confrontation.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
The writer is a former Press Secretary to the President, An ex-Press Minister at Embassy of Pakistan to France, a former MD, SRBC Macomb, Detroit, Michigan