The Trump administration has authorized the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency to carry out lethal action in Venezuela. The move comes after President Donald Trump targeted six ships in the Caribbean with alleged involvement in drug smuggling. Professor Mary Ellen O’Connell, member of CERL’s Advisory Council, wrote in a statement to Newsweek that Venezuela would have to consent to U.S. operations within its borders for such action to be lawful. 

Mary Ellen O’Connell is the Robert and Marion Short Professor of Law and Research Professor of International Dispute Resolution—Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies, University of Notre Dame. Read her bio here.    

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