Trump slammed for 'burning through American soft power' after UK halts some intel sharing
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Maritime leaders from the “Five Eyes” alliance. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Jesse Marquez Magallanes/Released).
CNN reports the United Kingdom is no longer sharing intelligence with the U.S. about suspected drug trafficking vessels in the Caribbean, sources familiar with the matter told CNN, because it does not want to be complicit in “illegal” attacks.
The U.K. controls a number of territories in the Caribbean where it bases intelligence assets, and for years it had helped U.S. administrations locate and track vessels suspected of carrying drugs so the U.S. Coast Guard could interdict them, sources said. Under earlier administrations that meant military officials would merely stop and board suspect ships, and then seize drugs and detain the crew.
But now President Donald Trump and his military heads have decided to launch lethal strikes against the boats and treat criminal suspects without due process rights, which prompted the U.K. to worry the U.S. is abusing British intelligence to select targets and break international laws.
United Nations human rights chief Volker Türk said last month that the strikes violate international law and amount to “extrajudicial killing.” Sources told CNN that the U.K. agrees with Türk’s assessment.
Critics on X cheered the decision by U.K. officials and worried Trump was obliterating U.S. standing in the international community.
“The UK is correct: these strikes are indeed illegal,” said Valerie Morkevičius, an author and Associate Professor of Political Science at Colgate University on X. “Trump is burning through American soft power at an incredible rate.
CNN White House correspondent Betsy Klein noted the international drama on X, saying “Next season on The Diplomat.”
“Our closest ally doesn’t trust that we’re handling these alleged drug boats in the Caribbean lawfully. That’s concerning, to say the least,” said another X user, while a majority of opinions confirmed the U.K. was doing the right thing because what Trump was doing is “plainly illegal.”
“Good. We can’t be trusted not to do war crimes with dumb-dumb and Whisky Pete in charge,” commented yet another critic on X.
Read the CNN report at this link.