Today, it is not merely one man before a New York court, but thirty million Venezuelans whose sovereignty stands on trial. Even U.S. allies expressed discomfort, warning that force without legal mandate shatters the system meant to prevent war. Yet Washington appears determined to prove power through force at a moment when it is losing ground elsewhere. They defend the idea that power must answer to law, and that even the strongest nation cannot declare itself judge, jury, and executioner over global governance. And the nation that fails to adapt becomes the nation left behind.

Source: The Nation January 06, 2026 11:19 UTC