Canada in a Bind Over US Caribbean Drug Attacks

Canada finds itself in an impossible position due to US attacks on alleged drug trafficking vessels in the Caribbean Sea. This was stated by military expert Rob Huebert, director of the Centre for Military, Security, and Strategic Studies at the University of Calgary. The Canadian government reported that it is closely monitoring the lethal attacks by the US Army in the waters of the Caribbean region, where Canada has been conducting its anti-drug trafficking operation, Operation Caribbean, since 2006, in collaboration with the US Coast Guard. However, Ottawa's Department of National Defence emphasized that US actions are unilateral and that the Canadian Armed Forces do not participate in them. Since September, the US Army has killed at least 87 people in the waters of the Caribbean in nearly two dozen attacks, marking a drastic shift in US drug policy, moving away from efforts to arrest suspected traffickers at sea and towards their summary execution. The human rights organization Human Rights Watch has called on governments to publicly oppose these illegal attacks. Rob Huebert noted that Canada is in an impossible situation and that the government has no good options. Ending Operation Caribbean would create both political and real ramifications for a country already facing a growing cocaine problem. At the same time, ceasing the mission would deprive Canada of US assistance in stopping drug trafficking.