U.S. Airstrike on Caribbean Vessel Sparks International Outrage

On September 2, the United States executed an airstrike on a vessel in the southern Caribbean, leading to the deaths of eleven people. The body, believed to be from the same vessel, has washed ashore in Trinidad and Tobago. The military act was carried out without Congressional approval, hence violating UNCLOS and international law. According to U.S. law, Congress should have been notified under the War Powers Resolution before the strike. It is argued that drug interdiction should be lawful with the involvement of boarding, searching, evidence collection, and prosecution through due process. Lethal force should be the last resort and within the boundaries of international law. The presence of bodies washed ashore in Trinidad and Tobago highlights the recklessness of this act, which is deemed unacceptable, unlawful, and an insult to the region’s peace and sovereignty. The Caribbean should not be seen as a battlefield, but a Zone of Peace.