Balance of Power

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The US military’s strike on a boat allegedly carrying drugs from Venezuela does little to dispel speculation over President Donald Trump’s true goal in the region.

Officially, the deployment of the US Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group and 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit to the Caribbean is about narcotics interdiction.

But unlike Coast Guard cutters and speedboats that usually chase — rather than blow up — smugglers, these ships are built to strike targets on land.

WATCH: Trump speaks from the Oval Office after the US military targeted a boat from Venezuela.

Coming weeks after Washington put a $50 million bounty on Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro’s head, some see it as a setup for a snatch-and-grab, or worse.

It’s also awakened some long dormant interventionist fantasies.

For many Venezuelans, the deployment revives memories of a botched 2020 coup attempt, when a group led by an American ex-Green Beret tried and failed to land on Venezuela’s shores, leaving several dead.

Maduro is leaning into the drama. Having accused Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Monday of wanting to “stain his hands with blood,” he responded defiantly yesterday after Trump said 11 “terrorists” were killed, without mentioning retaliation.

The US buildup has split the region. Brazil and Colombia warned of destabilization, while Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago cheered the move, citing drug-trafficking concerns. China and Russia condemned it as interference.

For all the saber-rattling, the US and Venezuela remain entangled. Deportation flights from the US to Caracas are back, and Chevron still holds a license to pump and export Venezuelan oil.

That uneasy coexistence sits awkwardly beside Trump’s “maximum pressure” campaign.

On the ground, opposition leader María Corina Machado is in hiding, with waves of repression and arrests hollowing out her movement.

Maduro has exploited the moment, cementing socialist party control and underscoring how far Venezuela still is from a democratic transition.

While Trump flexes US muscle in the Caribbean, Maduro’s grip on his country remains as tight as ever.

Maduro during Independence Day celebrations in Caracas on July 5. Photographer: Juan Barreto/AFP/Getty Images

Global Must Reads

Chinese President Xi Jinping projected defiance at a once-a-decade military parade in Beijing today, showcasing the nation’s growing firepower and diplomatic influence alongside allies including Russia’s Vladimir Putin and North Korea’s Kim Jong Un — their first public appearance together. Trump responded with a social-media post accusing Xi of conspiring against the US. Here’s what stood out from the parade of upgraded weapons.

Xi, center, with Putin and Kim in Beijing. Photographer: Shen Hong/XinHua News Agency/AP Photo

Trump came to office vowing to establish US global energy dominance, but his goal is under threat as the world’s largest importer, China, flexes its economic and geopolitical muscle. After years of pushing back against Russia’s ambitions for a massive new gas pipeline to expand eastbound exports, Beijing has brought Power of Siberia 2 nearer to becoming reality and appears to have agreed to expanded capacity on other routes, too.

Thailand’s political crisis deepened as rival parties, which lack clear mandates to lead, jostled to undermine each other’s bids for the premiership. Back-to-back announcements from the biggest groups revealed a complex path ahead for control, after the court ousted Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra last week and triggered a race to form alliances.

When Karol Nawrocki arrives at the White House today, the Polish president’s meeting with Trump might ordinarily showcase his country’s importance as a key European power. The runup to the head of state’s first foreign trip, though, has exposed something else: How Poland’s political troubles risk undermining the nation at home and abroad just when its star was in the ascendancy.

Turkey’s main opposition Republican People’s Party, or CHP, called on supporters to rally in Istanbul today after a court ordered the removal of its administration in the city, a ruling likely to disrupt the party as it tries to mount a challenge to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Turkish markets slumped after the ruling yesterday, part of an aggressive judicial crackdown against the CHP that’s seen its most popular official, Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, jailed.

An opposition protest in Izmir, Turkey, on May 19. Photographer: Chris McGrath/Getty Images

Trump will seek an expedited ruling from the Supreme Court in hopes of overturning a federal court decision that many of his tariffs were illegally imposed.

Two Brazilian centrist parties have ordered its members to resign from cabinet positions as they prepare to support candidates who may challenge President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in next year’s elections.

The US imposed sanctions on an Iraqi tycoon accused of helping Iran evade restrictions on its oil exports, the latest in a series of moves targeting Tehran’s energy trade.

Embattled Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba failed to quell calls for his resignation after the ruling party finalized a report on its election setback.

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Chart of the Day

At recruiting events, executives from Rheinmetall have been known to hand out condom packages stamped with the the German defense contractor’s name and a message: “Safety counts. Always and everywhere,” while rivals offer yoga classes. It’s a sign of changing times in Europe, where weapons makers are going to extreme lengths to court a new generation of workers, rebranding themselves to attract people needed to assemble the tanks, missiles and submarines as military budgets swell.

And Finally

The unprecedented appearance of Kim’s teenage daughter in Beijing added to speculation that she is being groomed as his eventual successor. Thought to be named Ju Ae and about 12 to 13 years old, she has been dubbed the “respected daughter” and “beloved child” by North Korean state media. South Korean intelligence officials have said she’s receiving lessons to take over the country, which has been ruled by the Kim family since its founding in the 1940s. She is believed to be one of two or possibly three children of Kim and his wife, Ri Sol Ju.

Kim arrives in Beijing with his daughter yesterday. Source: Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service/AAP Photo

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Chart of the Day

And Finally

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