The January 3 attack by the USA on Venezuela, and the reported capture of its President, Nicolás Maduro, is a shocking violation of international law and the rules-based international order. Our already deeply troubled and threatened world suffered extreme harm to this order during 2025, particularly in the context of highly arbitrary decision-making by President Trump. Now, right at the beginning of the new year 2026, the rules-based order has been further devastated by the attack on Venezuela.
The early days of a new year are usually a time of hope and peace, but both hope and peace have been gravely harmed by this attack.
This year began with a very serious global humanitarian crisis, the single most important cause being ongoing conflicts. Instead of focusing on providing urgent relief to millions of threatened people, President Trump has chosen to intensify conflict and open new conflict zones.
It is no less shocking that some leading countries, such as the UK and France, have extended their support to this attack at the highest levels.
Even if all the charges levelled against Maduro were true, any aggressive action against him could only have been undertaken after due authorisation by the United Nations. As matters stand today, several unbiased and respected commentators in the USA have already stated that Venezuela does not play any major role in causing drug-related problems in the United States.
Other serious allegations relate to rigged elections in Venezuela. If true, this is of course very wrong. However, any action in response should have been taken only after the UN had confirmed these allegations through transparent evidence-gathering, while also giving the other side an opportunity to present its version. Once the full evidence was available for open verification and comment, the UN could then have initiated appropriate action, with the USA and other countries contributing within this framework.
In such a situation, to remain fair and unbiased, the UN should also have investigated Venezuela’s complaints regarding many hostile and highly unfair actions by the USA that have worsened conditions for the Venezuelan people and obstructed the country’s legitimate efforts to protect its resource base and use it for the benefit of its population.
Instead, highly arbitrary unilateral actions by the USA, ignoring all other possible avenues for addressing perceived wrongs, have caused serious harm in several global contexts.
This is, of course, extremely damaging for Venezuela, creating new conflicts and massive uncertainty on top of the grave problems the country and its people already face.
At the same time, this action is also harmful to the USA, further damaging its reputation and deepening its image as the country most associated with disruptive and aggressive attacks. President Trump won elections on promises of ending “forever wars,” yet in his very first year he ordered air attacks on several countries, including Iran, Syria, and Yemen. Although he helped bring about a ceasefire in Gaza, this was done alongside proposals for an unjust future that deny a two-state solution or any other justice-based option for the people of Gaza. On top of this, he has now attacked Venezuela and declared, in a highly arrogant manner, that the USA will “run” the country during a transition period.
Such an extremely unjustifiable action—preceded by attacks on boats and other disruptive measures that reportedly killed a significant number of people even before the major attack on January 3—does not even enjoy public support within the USA. A CBS News poll conducted from November 19–21, 2025, found that only 13% of respondents regarded Venezuela as a major security threat, while 70% opposed US military action there.
As this writer has repeatedly argued, attempts to strengthen the USA through wars and aggression are counter-productive. They undermine the prospects of an enlightened leadership role—the only sustainable form of leadership—based on trust and genuine concern for all the people of the world.
For an already deeply troubled world, this US aggression not only severely damages what remains of the rules-based order but also greatly increases the risk of great-power rivalry, given Russia’s and China’s commitments to Venezuela. This, in turn, raises the danger of a third world war and even nuclear conflict at a time when the highest priority should be to reduce such risks.
The highly aggressive course of action pursued in Venezuela has also heightened concerns relating to Greenland.
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The writer is Honorary Convener, Campaign to Save Earth Now. His recent books include Protecting Earth for Children, Planet in Peril, Earth without Borders, and A Day in 2071
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