The alternative was to leave leave a narco-terrorist dictator in power

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In the wake of the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro by the U.S. government, various sources — including media figures, legal experts and even some governments — have begun claiming that the operation violated international law.

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Concerns about adherence to international law are important as a matter of principle. But when the precedent of the 1990 capture of Panamanian leader Manuel Noriega is understood — and the horrific facts of Maduro’s reign of terror are better known — the U.S. government is likely to prevail in both the court of law, and the court of popular opinion.

Context matters in deciding the application of legal doctrine. Maduro had three strikes against him that created a strong legal basis for his capture.

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First, his long history of severe human rights abuses resulted in one of worst humanitarian crises in modern history. Second, the state capture of Venezuela by Maduro’s Cartel de los Soles, which is allegedly responsible for drug trafficking and black market trading.

Third, fraudulently seizing power after losing the 2024 election — the final act that precipitated the rejection of his claim to the presidency by more than 50 countries — and caused the Biden administration to raise the bounty on his head to US$25-million on his head in January 2025. It was doubled to US$50 million in August.

It’s hard to........

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