Brian Finucane
@bcfinucane.bsky.social
Senior Adviser, US Program, International Crisis Group. Editor at Just Security. Non-Resident Senior Fellow at Reiss Center on Law and Security at NYU Law. Ex State Dept Lawyer. War Powers| Use of Force| Counterterrorism| Law of War| War Crimes| Arms Sales
Pinned
Brian Finucane
@bcfinucane.bsky.social
· Sep 19
Asserting a License to Kill: Why the Caribbean Strike is a Dangerous Departure from the “War on Terror”
An absence of credible legal basis for the Caribbean strike suggests the Trump admin is asserting a prerogative to kill outside the law.
www.justsecurity.org
My analysis in @justsecurity.org on Trump's asserted license to kill. 2/n
www.justsecurity.org/120568/carib...
www.justsecurity.org/120568/carib...
Looks like we can add GCIII, Article 13 to the legal issue spotter.
January 3, 2026 at 4:33 PM
Looks like we can add GCIII, Article 13 to the legal issue spotter.
Performative military action to generate content.
Reality TV commander in chief.
Reality TV commander in chief.
Trump posts footage of the Maduro raid set to "Fortunate Son" -- a protest song about the Vietnam War draft
January 3, 2026 at 4:24 PM
Performative military action to generate content.
Reality TV commander in chief.
Reality TV commander in chief.
Did a Control + F for fentanyl, but no hits.
So weird.
So weird.
U.S. indictment against Venezuela President Maduro, wife is unsealed
U.S. indictment against Venezuela President Maduro, wife is unsealed
A federal indictment charging Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, his wife and four others was posted online by U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi on Saturday.
cnb.cx
January 3, 2026 at 4:06 PM
Did a Control + F for fentanyl, but no hits.
So weird.
So weird.
Ladies and Gentlemen, the Article I Crisis.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., expresses support for Trump’s military action in Venezuela.
January 3, 2026 at 3:17 PM
Ladies and Gentlemen, the Article I Crisis.
Reposted by Brian Finucane
US War Powers at the moment:
Wheel of Airstrikes.
Who will the US bomb next? Tune in to find out!
Wheel of Airstrikes.
Who will the US bomb next? Tune in to find out!
1000wof GIF
ALT: 1000wof GIF
media.tenor.com
December 26, 2025 at 2:13 AM
US War Powers at the moment:
Wheel of Airstrikes.
Who will the US bomb next? Tune in to find out!
Wheel of Airstrikes.
Who will the US bomb next? Tune in to find out!
Needless to say, Congress did not authorize the US military intervention in Venezuela.
"But Wiles conceded that attacking targets on Venezuela’s mainland would force Trump to get congressional approval. 'If he were to authorize some activity on land, then it’s war, then [we’d need] Congress.'"
- WH Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, Nov 2, 2025 interview
www.vanityfair.com/news/story/t...
- WH Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, Nov 2, 2025 interview
www.vanityfair.com/news/story/t...
Trump’s Inner Circle, On the Record (Part 2 of 2)
Susie Wiles discusses the Epstein files, Pete Hegseth’s war tactics, and “retribution” against Letitia James.
www.vanityfair.com
January 3, 2026 at 2:20 PM
Needless to say, Congress did not authorize the US military intervention in Venezuela.
Anyone heard from her recently?
Wonder if the DNI has thoughts on a U.S. military intervention in Venezuela?
January 3, 2026 at 1:24 PM
Anyone heard from her recently?
Today is the anniversary of the capture of Noreiga in Operation Just Cause.
January 3, 2026 at 1:23 PM
Today is the anniversary of the capture of Noreiga in Operation Just Cause.
Reposted by Brian Finucane
Interesting how much weight he’s placing on a federal indictment given that his own boss was under federal indictment.
Marco Rubio on Maduro: "He's into the drug business. By the way, it's not me saying it. I'm not just making this up. This was an indictment that came out of the Southern District of New York back in 2020. An indictment! It was undisputed."
December 3, 2025 at 3:18 AM
Interesting how much weight he’s placing on a federal indictment given that his own boss was under federal indictment.
Reposted by Brian Finucane
I find it continually amusing how the US Secretary of State regularly emphasizes the fact that Maduro is under federal indictment considering his own boss’s legal history.
December 31, 2025 at 11:37 PM
I find it continually amusing how the US Secretary of State regularly emphasizes the fact that Maduro is under federal indictment considering his own boss’s legal history.
Expect someone in the administration may have dusted off this 1989 OLC opinion.
www.justice.gov/olc/opinion/...
www.justice.gov/olc/opinion/...
Authority of the Federal Bureau of Investigation to Override International Law in Extraterritorial Law Enforcement Activities
www.justice.gov
January 3, 2026 at 12:04 PM
Expect someone in the administration may have dusted off this 1989 OLC opinion.
www.justice.gov/olc/opinion/...
www.justice.gov/olc/opinion/...
Why is Al Jazeera waking me up at 6am to discuss an invasion…oh.
January 3, 2026 at 11:51 AM
Why is Al Jazeera waking me up at 6am to discuss an invasion…oh.
This is my shocked face
Measles may have been spread at a Noah’s Ark-themed creationist museum in Kentucky earlier this week, the state’s health authority said.
Health Authorities Issue Measles Alert at Creationist Museum
In 2025, the U.S. had the most infections of the vaccine-preventable disease since 1992.
trib.al
January 3, 2026 at 4:40 AM
This is my shocked face
Still wild to me that tankers are now trying to claim Russian protection from attack by the United States.
Anyone else remember the Tanker Wars and US reflagging in the 1980s?
Anyone else remember the Tanker Wars and US reflagging in the 1980s?
January 3, 2026 at 2:40 AM
Still wild to me that tankers are now trying to claim Russian protection from attack by the United States.
Anyone else remember the Tanker Wars and US reflagging in the 1980s?
Anyone else remember the Tanker Wars and US reflagging in the 1980s?
Nobel Peace Prize worthy
Year-end tally of Trump admin combat actions in 2025:
—Yemen—1,000+ strikes*
—Somalia—140+ strikes, 1 ground raid**
—Syria—78+ strikes, 3 ground raids***
—Iran—3 B-2 strikes
—Iraq—1 strike
—Nigeria—1 set of TLAM strikes
—Caribbean—11 strikes
—Eastern Pacific—20 strikes
—Venezuela—1 known CIA strike
—Yemen—1,000+ strikes*
—Somalia—140+ strikes, 1 ground raid**
—Syria—78+ strikes, 3 ground raids***
—Iran—3 B-2 strikes
—Iraq—1 strike
—Nigeria—1 set of TLAM strikes
—Caribbean—11 strikes
—Eastern Pacific—20 strikes
—Venezuela—1 known CIA strike
First-ever US airstrikes in Nigeria put the second Trump admin’s 2025 combat actions at:
—Nigeria—tonight’s strikes
—Yemen—1,000+ strikes (Mar-Apr)
—Somalia—120 strikes, 1 ground raid
—Syria—78+ strikes, 3 ground raids
—Caribbean—11 strikes
—Eastern Pacific—20 strikes
—Iran—3 strikes
—Iraq—1 strike
—Nigeria—tonight’s strikes
—Yemen—1,000+ strikes (Mar-Apr)
—Somalia—120 strikes, 1 ground raid
—Syria—78+ strikes, 3 ground raids
—Caribbean—11 strikes
—Eastern Pacific—20 strikes
—Iran—3 strikes
—Iraq—1 strike
January 3, 2026 at 12:29 AM
Nobel Peace Prize worthy
Probably because I was in the fire service at the time, but one of my first thoughts when I heard of this tragedy was the 2003 Station fire in Rhode Island.
In Switzerland, investigators say they believe sparklers started a deadly fire inside a ski resort bar packed with people ringing in the New Year. At least 40 people were killed and more than 100 injured when the Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana went up in flames.
January 3, 2026 at 12:00 AM
Probably because I was in the fire service at the time, but one of my first thoughts when I heard of this tragedy was the 2003 Station fire in Rhode Island.
The hand off to the USCG resembles #3.
Here's an unusual bit of news: The Coast Guard is on day 4 of searching for survivors of a Dec. 30 airstrike on an alleged drug boat. Unusual because past survivors were either 1) bombed again 2) quickly rescued by the Navy or 3) left to Mexico to recover/not found taskandpurpose.com/news/coast-g...
Coast Guard searching for survivors of US strikes on boats in the Pacific
The effort, now in its fourth day, is the most extensive one conducted by the U.S. since it began attacks on alleged drug ships in September.
taskandpurpose.com
January 2, 2026 at 11:20 PM
The hand off to the USCG resembles #3.
Performative military action for the entertainment value, in the same genre as the killing spree at sea and bombing Nigeria.
Trump's threat to bomb Iran made something clear to me in a way I hadn't yet formulated: His conception of US military force, like his conception of the federal govt, is now entirely personalized. It is a power to be wielded not on behalf of US interests but on behalf of his personal whims.
January 2, 2026 at 10:28 PM
Performative military action for the entertainment value, in the same genre as the killing spree at sea and bombing Nigeria.
Drinking my coffee, catching up on the 3 am threat of military intervention against Iran from the U.S. President…
January 2, 2026 at 2:15 PM
Drinking my coffee, catching up on the 3 am threat of military intervention against Iran from the U.S. President…
Reposted by Brian Finucane
It should really bother all of us that the United States government left an unknown number of people floating in an ocean more than 2 days ago, and this seems to be the only information available about the search.
x.com/Southcom/sta...
x.com/Southcom/sta...
January 2, 2026 at 1:36 AM
It should really bother all of us that the United States government left an unknown number of people floating in an ocean more than 2 days ago, and this seems to be the only information available about the search.
x.com/Southcom/sta...
x.com/Southcom/sta...
To be fair, about on par with a pair of high-altitude climbing boots I own.
Worth it to keep your toes.
Worth it to keep your toes.
January 2, 2026 at 2:14 AM
To be fair, about on par with a pair of high-altitude climbing boots I own.
Worth it to keep your toes.
Worth it to keep your toes.
Who can say whether bombing boats with cocaine bound for Europe will ameliorate the fentanyl scourge in the U.S.?
Experts say Biden's focus on addiction health care saved tens of thousands of lives and slowed fentanyl smuggling. Trump scrapped Biden's approach in favor of military strikes. n.pr/4aE5knH
In one year, Trump pivots fentanyl response from public health to drug war
Experts say Biden's focus on addiction health care saved tens of thousands of lives and slowed fentanyl smuggling. Trump scrapped Biden's approach in favor of military strikes.
n.pr
January 2, 2026 at 1:31 AM
Who can say whether bombing boats with cocaine bound for Europe will ameliorate the fentanyl scourge in the U.S.?
My sole mountain lion encounter in Colorado was at some distance.
Spotted one crossing a snowfield before dawn on the approach to climbing Skywalker Couloir.
“That’s an odd place for a golden retriever…wait a second…”
Spotted one crossing a snowfield before dawn on the approach to climbing Skywalker Couloir.
“That’s an odd place for a golden retriever…wait a second…”
Suspected mountain lion attack in Colorado mountains under investigation trib.al/tLv5rKK
Suspected mountain lion attack in Colorado mountains under investigation
The suspected mountain lion attack happened in unincorporated Larimer County, south of Glen Haven, according to Colorado Parks and Wildlife’s northeast regional office.
trib.al
January 2, 2026 at 12:36 AM
My sole mountain lion encounter in Colorado was at some distance.
Spotted one crossing a snowfield before dawn on the approach to climbing Skywalker Couloir.
“That’s an odd place for a golden retriever…wait a second…”
Spotted one crossing a snowfield before dawn on the approach to climbing Skywalker Couloir.
“That’s an odd place for a golden retriever…wait a second…”
Reposted by Brian Finucane
Previously when DoD tried to hand off rescue efforts for a survivor in the Pacific to Mexico he was lost at sea.
That may be the expectation with this hand off to USCG.
If these supposed “narco-terrorists”are rescued, what then?
Expect USG does not want custody subject to any US legal challenge.
That may be the expectation with this hand off to USCG.
If these supposed “narco-terrorists”are rescued, what then?
Expect USG does not want custody subject to any US legal challenge.
US government celebrating the holidays with more lawless military action—another maritime strike in the Pacific, this time with people in the water after abandoning ship.
A big question now is what the Trump administration does with anyone it might rescue.
A big question now is what the Trump administration does with anyone it might rescue.
January 1, 2026 at 4:09 AM
Previously when DoD tried to hand off rescue efforts for a survivor in the Pacific to Mexico he was lost at sea.
That may be the expectation with this hand off to USCG.
If these supposed “narco-terrorists”are rescued, what then?
Expect USG does not want custody subject to any US legal challenge.
That may be the expectation with this hand off to USCG.
If these supposed “narco-terrorists”are rescued, what then?
Expect USG does not want custody subject to any US legal challenge.