United Nations —The recent U.S. military operation in Venezuela, which resulted in the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, drew sharp condemnations from a broad spectrum of international actors during an emergency Security Council meeting on Monday. Both U.S. allies and adversaries expressed concern over what they viewed as violations of international law and threats to regional stability.
Worries and reactions from around the world
Jay Dharmadhikari, the French ambassador to the UN, said that the U.S.-led operation hurt the foundations of international order. He said that using force against a sovereign nation goes against the ideas of peaceful dispute resolution and not getting involved.
António Guterres, the U.N. Secretary-General, agreed with these concerns and said that the U.S. action went against the UN Charter, which says that member states must not threaten or use force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any country. Guterres asked for diplomacy and warned that Venezuela and the region as a whole could become more unstable.
Christina Markus Lassen, the Danish ambassador, also talked about how important it is to respect Venezuela's sovereignty. She said, "No state should try to change the political situation in Venezuela by threatening force or other means that go against international law."
People around the world are upset with what the U.S. did.
Russia and China, two long-time friends of Venezuela and vocal critics of U.S. foreign policy, spoke out against the operation. Russian Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia told the U.S. that it acts like a "supreme judge" that makes up its own rules and ignores sovereignty and international law.
Both countries asked for Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, who was also arrested during the operation, to be released right away. They asked for an end to more military actions in Venezuela.
Zalabata Torres, Colombia's ambassador to the UN, spoke out against the intervention, saying, "Where are the foundations of international peace and security?" and calling it "the worst interference" in regional affairs.
The U.S. Response and Reasons
U.S. Ambassador Mike Waltz called the operation a "surgical law enforcement" action against Maduro, whom he called a "illegitimate narco-terrorist." He said that if the U.N. treated Maduro as a legitimate leader, it would be questioning the legitimacy of the U.N. and its principles. He also said that the U.S. sees Maduro as a criminal involved in drug trafficking.
Waltz and other U.S. officials also talked about possible actions in Colombia and Mexico, saying that their governments were poorly led and that drug trafficking was a problem. During the meeting, President Trump also said he would take over Greenland, which is similar to what he had said before about how important the Arctic region is for strategy.
Trump also said that the U.S. would step in if Iran stopped peaceful protests, which drew a lot of criticism.
Views from Venezuela and the Region
Delcy Rodríguez, the interim President of Venezuela, took the oath of office during the meeting. She condemned what she called "illegitimate military aggression" by the U.S. and said she was sorry for the suffering it caused the Venezuelan people. She called Maduro and Flores "heroes" and stressed how illegal the operation was.
Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Chile, Nicaragua, and Cuba are just a few of the Latin American countries that spoke out against U.S. actions. This shows that people in the region are unhappy and afraid that things will get worse.
Ongoing Diplomatic Problems
This was the second time since October that the Security Council has met about Venezuela. This shows that the U.S. is still worried about its interventions and Venezuela's unstable situation. Maduro and Flores showed up in New York for their arraignments and said they were not guilty of the charges against them.
Venezuela's Vice President Delcy Rodríguez was sworn in as interim president as a symbolic move to show that her government is still in charge during the crisis.
