On Saturday, on the orders of President Donald Trump, the United States launched a full-scale military operation against Venezuela; the capital, Caracas, violently rocked by explosions, and US forces detained President Nicolás Maduro along with his wife and airlifted them to New York while publishing humiliating, prisoner-of-war–style photographs. As a result, widespread protests erupted in various countries against Donald Trump, and demonstrators described this as not only a grave infringement of the sovereignty of an independent state but also a flagrant violation of international law.
Due to persistent violations of international laws by countries like the United States and Israel, the UN Charter had already become severely weakened. Then, the manner in which a dominant country invaded another country and displayed the degrading arrest of its president before the world like a trophy created the impression that nothing remains in the world today in the name of a world order. If the conduct of powerful countries is taken as a precedent, then China, which declares Taiwan an inseparable part of itself, could also seize Taiwan by force; and then Russia, which has already occupied nearly 20 percent of Ukraine—what would it do with the remaining 80 percent of Ukraine? America’s long-standing ally Israel, which has already attacked five countries, would see no harm in invading neighboring states as well to fulfill the expansionist dream of Greater Israel, and for the United States to support Israel in taking such steps would be a predictable matter, since it has repeatedly been said that America is Israel and Israel is America. Then what will become of other countries? These are profoundly important questions, because if this pattern continues, in which the powerful suppress the weak and impose decisions of their own choosing, then the world will descend into raw jungle law.
The United Nations Security Council did convene an extraordinary meeting over the arrest of the Venezuelan president, but vetoing it is effortless for the United States; nevertheless, it is hoped that, due to eloquent speeches, at least a message will go out to the world that international law and justice still exist. UN Secretary-General António Guterres convened this meeting on Venezuela’s request with the support of Russia and China, in which an attempt will be made to awaken the collective global conscience—an effort that is unlikely to prove effective. However, this is not the first incident of its kind, and from American history numerous examples can be cited of foreign presidents or rulers, some of whom were arrested through direct military action and others with the help of local authorities and transferred to the United States.
The example of Panama’s de facto ruler Manuel Noriega, who was arrested on January 3, 1990, during the US military intervention known as Operation Just Cause, is appropriate here. He faced serious charges of drug trafficking and money laundering. His trial took place in 1991, and in April 1992 he was convicted on eight counts and sentenced to lengthy imprisonment of 40 years, which was later reduced to 17 years. Iraq’s former president Saddam Hussein was arrested by US forces on December 13, 2003, from the concealed place where he had gone into hiding. He faced charges of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide, and in 2006 he was executed. Similarly, former president of the Central American country Honduras, Juan Orlando, was arrested from his home on February 15, 2022, at the request of the United States and handed over to US authorities. He was charged with large-scale conspiracy to import drugs into the United States, use of weapons, and providing protection to smugglers in exchange for substantial sums of bribes. His trial was held in New York in February 2024, and in March 2024 he was convicted on three counts and, on June 26, sentenced to harsh imprisonment of 45 years; however, on December 1, 2025, President Trump pardoned him.
Before his arrest, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro had conveyed the impression that the United States in fact wanted to seize Venezuela’s vast natural resources, including oil and minerals, and even from the statements of US President Donald Trump it appears that America’s strategic objective is, along with taking control of Venezuela’s resources, to increase its influence over the crucial Panama Canal and to reduce the influence of China, Iran, and Russia in Venezuela. For this purpose, various grave allegations were leveled against President Nicolás Maduro, while Venezuela is the country with the world’s largest oil reserves, estimated at approximately 18 percent of global reserves. In addition, natural gas, iron, gold, bauxite, diamonds, nickel, copper, zinc, and other valuable minerals are also found here in abundance. Undoubtedly, these resources could have formed the basis of a stable economy for the country; however, due to systemic corruption, entrenched bribery, and crippling international sanctions, these resources could not be utilized. The US president appears to be indicating that he would send his major companies to Venezuela, spend billions of dollars to extract oil, and repair Venezuela’s dilapidated infrastructure, as he stated in a press conference on January 3; however, how much truth there is in this can only be determined by time.
Here, President Donald Trump, along with global leaders and the collective global conscience, must remember that the global landscape is changing rapidly, and that not only is there widespread public anger worldwide against the US invasion of Venezuela, but leaders and senior leadership of countries including Russia, Iran, Cuba, China, Mexico, Brazil, Chile, Spain, and Colombia have condemned President Trump’s action. And if US President Donald Trump were to ensure any punishment for the Venezuelan president as past rulers have done, a strong reaction from the international community would also emerge, although it is highly unlikely for it to have any effect on the United States. Alarmingly, after the US operation against Venezuela, intense speculation has begun not only in the affected region but also in other countries about which country will be next. Although the country that the United States has openly threatened is Colombia, Iran too, due to repeated threats from the US government and Israel, appears to be in America’s sights. Although Iran is considered a far stronger country compared to Venezuela, and Iran has made it clear that in the event of an attack, US bases could also come within range of advanced Iranian missiles. Surprisingly, no unequivocal statement or threat has emerged from China or Russia, nor is there any expectation of one. Therefore, countries under threat can rely only on their own strength, because in the present era the philosophy of “might makes right” is steadily becoming the only rule in practice.
