European leaders fail the international law test on Venezuela |
The U.S. military operation to capture Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro has provoked anger from both U.S. allies and adversaries. Where the United Nations warned of setting a “dangerous precedent,” European powers tried to have it both ways, admitting Maduro “lacks legitimacy” while softly condemning the intervention or avoiding a clear comment. Not one major European leader said it was the right thing to do. This moral equivocation is justified by appeals to “international law” and warnings that China and Russia might act more aggressively in America’s stead.
Let’s be serious.
Did Russia respect principles of international law when it assassinated dissidents in London and Berlin, or when it sent assassins after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky? Does China follow these principles in Xinjiang Province and Hong Kong? Does Iran obey them while arming proxies to slaughter people across the Middle East? Does North Korea show fealty to international law........