Today, the United States illegally attacked and invaded Venezuela, kidnapped Maduro and his wife, and committed an unprovoked act of war.
What happened
For months, the US:
- has been steadily building up a force of warships, fighter jets, Marines, spy planes, bombers, and drones in the Caribbean;
- has extrajudicially murdered at least 110 people in international waters, never providing any evidence of threat or crime (besides the fact that plain murder is illegal, and there would have been other avenues to address any imminent threat, such as arresting said people);
- has used the pretext of fighting narco-traffic and seized oil tankers.
- has deployed aggressive rhetoric against the Venezuelan government, which clearly indicating an interest in regime change.
Last night, the United States bombed Venezuela in an unprovoked and murderous attack. While this unfolded, American special forces invaded Caracas and kidnapped Maduro and his wife.
The Maduro topic
We have read and heard, over and over again, people justifying Trump’s illegal and insane actions by mentioning Maduro’s illegitimate regime. This intellectual gymnastics cannot stand.
Yes, the Maduro regime has created a horrible humanitarian crisis and stolen elections. Over 20 million Venezuelans live in poverty. Roughly 8 million Venezuelans have left since 2014.
And let us be even more clear: for years, we supported Venezuelans seeking an end to dictatorship, and we always hoped the Maduro regime would end up falling, after usurping elections and cracking down on all forms of dissent. But this cannot come at the cost of international law, justice, and peace.
Without any credible threat from Venezuela’s government or a United Nations authorisation, this is an aggression violating international law. It’s as simple as this. The US has repeatedly tried to mix the issues of democracy and drug trafficking with its illegal extrajudicial killings in international waters, and now an illegal invasion and attack on Venezuela. But we cannot fall for this propaganda. International law must be applied. And we cannot be blind: the US is most likely seeking to secure access to huge oil reserves and manipulating the public narrative around this.
We shouldn’t even have to say it, but let’s be clear: obviously, measures against dictatorships like Maduro’s must be taken - sanctions, disinvestments, boycotts. Some of those have been implemented in the past. However, murders, invasions, and kidnappings are not part of the tools that democratic nations should deploy unilaterally.
Implications for the world
This illegal invasion sets an insane precedent. Over the years, the West - the self-appointed defender of international law and rights - has made it clear that it will only apply international law when convenient: to condemn the illegal invasion by Russia, for example, while simultaneously dismantling it by supporting Israel’s genocide of Palestinians. This is not just ethically wrong, but a dent in a legal framework aimed at protecting humanity as a whole.
In addition, regime change by force does not lead to better outcomes. Just consider the US’ recent history in Libya, or its long history in Central and Southern America.
Finally, by accepting such criminal practices, how could the international community protest against a potential invasion of Taiwan by China, or Russia’s invasion and occupation of Ukraine, or, say, the kidnapping of other heads of state?
What must happen now
- All countries and the United Nations must condemn the US’s illegal act of war and pressure it to stop its destabilisation efforts.
- The UN Secretary-General, and countries willing to enforce the rule of law and the UN Charter, must coordinate a response, for example by coordinating sanctions against the United States.
If this were any other country, the United States government would have been called a terrorist regime months ago, and the world would have rallied to stop its bombing of sovereign nations, support of war criminals, and destruction of the international legal framework. Just as some stepped up to condemn and coordinate responses to Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine or Israel’s genocidal war on Palestine, we must do the same now.aine or Israel’s genocidal war on Palestine, we must do the same now.