Now it has brought the world's largest warship to within striking distance of Venezeula. It accuses its leader Nicolás Maduro of running a narco-terrorist organisation aimed at destabilizing the US through drugs.
But with cocaine from the country reportedly accounting for just 10% of the US market - what part are the country's rich oil reserves and the US's own politics playing in his motives?
Will Tullis tells Daniel Hewitt what you need to know.
