Venezuela: the U.S. intervention erodes international law and accelerates global authoritarianism

• The Novact Institute for Nonviolence expresses its categorical condemnation of the military intervention carried out by the United States in Venezuelan territory and the detention of President Nicolás Maduro.
• The unilateralism witnessed in Ukraine, Palestine and now Venezuela, among other contexts, is accelerating a new global order based on authoritarianism and a logic of force incompatible with the United Nations.
• NOVACT calls on European and national institutions to adopt an active position in defense of international legality.

 

The Novact Institute for Nonviolence denounces the military intervention of the United States in Venezuelan territory and the detention of President Nicolás Maduro as a serious violation of international law. The United States has NO right to “tutor” Venezuela, to arbitrarily kidnap heads of state, or to dispose of Venezuelan oil reserves for the benefit of U.S. companies.

Trump’s attack on Venezuela threatens global peace and makes the world less safe. This attack gives a green light to any nation that seeks to attack another country in order to seize its resources or change its government. It legitimizes a logic of impunity that we have already seen operate in Ukraine and in Palestine. If the leader of the West can bomb a capital city and abduct a head of state, on what grounds can Putin be condemned for Ukraine? How can Netanyahu be prosecuted for the crime of genocide? How can restraint be demanded from China regarding Taiwan? With the bombing of Caracas, authoritarianism is being accelerated worldwide.

It is true that Venezuela is undergoing a prolonged democratic deterioration. Authorities criminally prosecute political opponents, journalists and human rights defenders. More than 20 million people live in multidimensional poverty, without adequate access to essential goods, services and rights. In this context, nearly eight million people have been forced to flee the country. However, none of this can serve to justify an armed intervention or external tutelage by the United States over Venezuela’s future. The only legitimate and sustainable solution must be built by Venezuelans themselves, through peaceful and democratic means.

The events that have taken place in Caracas, especially given the threats made against Greenland, compel Europe to undertake a profound strategic reflection. Betting on accelerated rearmament and increased energy and military dependence on the United States not only fails to enhance European security, but also contributes to consolidating a global drift toward militarization, confrontation and the law of the strongest. Europe cannot—and should not seek to—compete militarily with powers such as the United States or China.

If Europe wishes to preserve its political coherence, its international credibility and an external influence aligned with its foundational values, the only sustainable path is to strengthen its own capacities for diplomacy, conflict prevention and peacebuilding, in line with the United Nations’ New Agenda for Peace, committing to a common, human and cooperative security in the service of peace and nonviolence rather than of arms escalation.

For all these reasons, NOVACT issues an urgent call to European institutions and national governments to:

• Demand the immediate cessation of any military action or external interference by the United States in Venezuela, in strict compliance with the United Nations Charter.
• Clearly commit to a peaceful, democratic solution built by Venezuelan society itself, with effective participation of civil society and guarantees for human rights.
• Strengthen multilateralism, diplomacy and peacebuilding, rejecting the militarization of international relations and any double standards in the application of international law.
• Support independent, international monitoring and verification mechanisms aimed at protecting civilians, ensuring political transparency, and preventing further escalation of violence.