Behind Venezuela’s Military Drills: Maduro’s Defiance Amid U.S. Naval Presence

As tensions between the United States and Venezuela intensify, Nicolás Maduro has announced an extensive military training operation spanning 312 barracks and units across his country. Ostensibly aimed at bolstering combat readiness, this move comes on the heels of increased U.S. naval deployments in the Caribbean under the pretext of disrupting narcotrafficking networks.But Maduro’s narrative betrays a deeper agenda—one rooted not in combating crime but in consolidating authoritarian control and resisting legitimate international pressure tied to Venezuela’s role as a narco-regime. His call for "advanced training and combat cohesion" is less about protecting Venezuelan citizens and more about fortifying a...