Donald Trump, the president of the United States of America, insists that he likes to end wars. But in recent weeks, he has also set the stage for a possible deadly new conflict. Mr Trump recently confirmed that he has authorised the Central Intelligence Agency to carry out its dirty tricks in Venezuela where his administration has long sought to depose the authoritarian and controversial president, Nicolás Maduro. The US president also said that he was mulling land operations in Venezuela. These threats come amid a major US military build-up in the Caribbean Sea. American forces have also bombed several Venezuelan boats in international waters, killing at least 27 people whom Washington has accused of ferrying narcotics to the US. The Venezuelan government has protested these bombings and warned that US military action against the country would represent a violation of international law and the United Nations charter. International law experts, too, have cautioned that the mid-sea bombings are likely illegal. Mr Trump’s arguments to justify the attacks do not appear to hold up. He has accused Venezuela of dumping cocaine in the US even though his own administration’s drug regulators have reported that it is Colombia and other nations — not Venezuela — that are the source of most of that addictive narcotic in America. Mr Trump also insists that the Tren de Aragua drug cartel, which he has listed as a terrorist group, is a front for Mr Maduro’s government. However, the US’s Drug Enforcement Administration has itself rejected that premise.

The US, of course, has a long history of disregarding international law in carrying out attacks on other sovereign nations. Still, Mr Trump’s approach stands out especially starkly because he otherwise claims to be a champion of peace. He came to power promising to end wars and insists that he has stopped eight conflicts. To be sure, in some of them — like the Iran-Israel conflagration in June — the US itself was a participant. His role in others, like the India-Pakistan battle, is disputed. Still others are yet to actually end — such as the one in Gaza where Israeli bombings still continue. Mr Maduro’s regime has several warts. But that does not give Mr Trump the licence to intervene and bring about a change of regime by force. It may even quash Mr Trump’s dream of winning the Nobel Peace Prize.