The US is now a rogue state – look at its extrajudicial killings off Venezuela’s coast | Simon Tisdall
In a significant shift in international relations, the UK has reportedly decided to limit its intelligence-sharing with the United States regarding suspected drug traffickers in the Caribbean. This decision comes in response to the US’s controversial airstrikes targeting alleged smugglers off the coast of Venezuela, which have drawn widespread criticism for being illegal extrajudicial killings. The UK’s move is seen as a symbolic act of resistance against what many perceive as Donald Trump’s imperialist revival, a term that encapsulates the aggressive foreign policy approach that seeks to exert US dominance globally, often at the expense of legal and ethical norms.
These airstrikes, which are part of Trump’s broader strategy to undermine Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s regime, raise significant legal and moral questions. While there is considerable support among Venezuelans for the removal of Maduro, the means employed by the US—direct military action without UN authorization—contradict international law principles. The lack of a legal basis for such interventions often leads to devastating consequences, both for the targeted nations and for international stability. Critics argue that such actions not only undermine the established rules-based world order but also set a dangerous precedent for future interventions. The UK’s hesitance to fully align with the US on this issue highlights a growing rift in transatlantic relations and a call for more measured and lawful approaches to international conflicts.
As the situation unfolds, it remains crucial to examine the implications of these military actions on the region and the potential for escalating tensions. The international community must grapple with the consequences of unilateral interventions and the need for cooperative approaches that respect sovereignty and international law. The UK’s stance could signal a shift towards a more principled foreign policy, one that prioritizes diplomacy over military intervention, and emphasizes the importance of multilateralism in addressing global challenges.
These widely condemned strikes are just the latest sign of Trump’s imperialist revival – and the collapsing of the rules-based world order
The UK’s
reported decision
to restrict intelligence-sharing with the Pentagon on suspected drug-traffickers’ boats in the Caribbean is a modest yet symbolic act of resistance to Donald Trump’s
imperialist revival
. Britain is said to have objected to repeated, lethal US airstrikes on alleged smugglers off Venezuela’s coast – which have been widely condemned as
illegal extrajudicial killings
amounting to murder.
The strikes appear to foreshadow direct
US attacks on Venezuela
itself. Trump makes no secret of his wish to topple Nicolás Maduro’s authoritarian, ostensibly leftist regime. Most Venezuelans support this aim, but not the means. Regime change forcibly imposed by a foreign power contravenes international law, unless it is authorised by the UN or undertaken in self-defence as a last resort. Legal or not, it never ends well.
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