The Fuerte Tiuna military complex, where Nicolas Maduro was abducted, was damaged by US strikes in Caracas, January 3, 2026. VANTOR VIA AP
While the international community has condemned the US aggression against Venezuela, it often doesn't go further than that. Yet, according to many diplomats and law experts, the American operation was a clear violation of the United Nations Charter, the foundation of international relations between states for the past 80 years.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed concern as early as Saturday, January 3, warning of "a dangerous precedent," and calling for "full respect – by all – of international law." Others, particularly among Western nations, mainly praised the fact that the "act of aggression," to adopt the terms of the UN Charter, succeeded in stopping a dictator. But in London, Paris and Brussels, references to international law seemed half-hearted, as though it had become obsolete in a world increasingly governed by force. It has taken a country such as South Africa, which itself faced criticism from the US president in recent months for bringing a case against Israel before the International Court of Justice (ICJ), to strongly reiterate the principles of international law. It is a "violation," declared South African Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola. "Unlawful, unilateral force of this nature undermines the stability of the international order and the principle of equality among nations."
