By: Okoi Obono-Obla The United Nations was founded in 1945 in the aftermath of the catastrophic Second World War, which had plu...
By: Okoi Obono-Obla
The United Nations was founded in 1945 in the aftermath of the catastrophic Second World War, which had plunged the world into unprecedented despair and tragedy, leading to massive destruction of human lives and property. One of the organs of the United Nations entrusted with the maintenance of global peace and security is the United Nations Security Council, composed of permanent members such as Russia, the United States of America, the United Kingdom, France, and China.
On 3 January 2026, international peace and security were threatened when the United States of America invaded Venezuela. Using crack special operations forces, it captured President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, and took them to New York, where they were arraigned in court on allegations of narco-trafficking, possession of firearms, and other offences. The world reeled in shock and despair as international law was trampled upon by the United States of America, a permanent member of the Security Council.
This brazen attack on Venezuela was contrary to Article 2(4) of the UN Charter. The reality is that America is in breach of the Charter. It has committed the crime of aggression, which the Nuremberg Tribunal described as the “supreme crime”—the worst crime of all. The International Military Tribunal was established at Nuremberg, Germany, at the end of the Second World War to try leaders of the Third Reich who were held responsible for the unspeakable atrocities committed against Jewish and other minority peoples by Hitler’s regime.
However, it is unlikely that the United States of America will be punished by the Security Council, since it possesses veto power to block any measure that might be taken against it for such a flagrant violation of international law. The grounds advanced by the United States—that President Nicolás Maduro was leading a narco-trafficking organization—are legally untenable and cannot sustain any defence for its actions.
The world lies prostrate and helpless. Russia did the same in 2021 when it invaded Ukraine, escaping meaningful international scrutiny, and the war still rages between Ukraine and Russia.
Are we witnessing the end of international law and the return to a Hobbesian era, where the mightiest are free to trample upon weak and vulnerable nations, annexing and colonizing them without qualms? If powerful states continue to act with impunity, international law risks becoming irrelevant, leaving humanity at the mercy of raw power rather than justice.
@ Okoi Obono-Obla
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