By Zhongsheng
At the beginning of 2026, the international order has been severely impacted by hegemonism, as the US launched a military strike on Venezuela and forcibly kidnapped Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife. On January 5, the UN Security Council held an emergency meeting on the matter. Representatives from multiple countries condemned the US actions at the meeting and emphasized the need to comply with international law, including the UN Charter.
The unilateral interference of the US in Venezuela's internal affairs based solely on its own will fully exposes its logic of power politics in handling international affairs, particularly those concerning Latin America. "The Organization is based on the principle of the sovereign equality of all its Members" and "All Members shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state, or in any other manner inconsistent with the Purposes of the United Nations". These are ironclad rules enshrined in the UN Charter and constitute the cornerstone of today's international relations. However, disregarding international law and the basic norms of international relations, the US has blatantly transposed the Law of the jungle into the reality of 21st-century international relations.
The US side has even openly declared that it will "run" Venezuela and that major US oil companies will enter the country. This bald proclamation of plunder hascompletely stripped away the last vestiges of pretense. The British newspaper The Guardian has pointed out that the US actions in Venezuela resemble the Iraq war, continuing its established pattern of appropriating resources from other countries. From Afghanistan and Iraq to Libya and Syria, and now Venezuela, when a nation or region becomes a "priority" in US foreign policy, it is often inflicted with crises and disasters. Hegemonic nations come and go as they please, with their domestic interest groups reaping immense profits, leaving behind persistent turmoil and immense humanitarian crises in their wake.
"Today it is Venezuela. Tomorrow it could be anyother country", said Chilean President Gabriel Boric , voicing the widespread concern of the international community. The US hegemonic actions are precisely a major source of the chaos seen in today's world. When the "law of the jungle" replaces international norms, it harms the interests of every member of the global community.
The world today is no longer one where hegemony can dominate everything. The progress of history, the awakening of peoples, and the evolution of the global landscape have determined that unilateralism, egocentrism, and the retrogressive and perverse practices of hegemony do not win public support. From Venezuela, to Latin America, across the globe, and even within the US itself, opposition and condemnation of hegemonic actions have surged immediately. UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned that the US actions in Venezuela set a "dangerous precedent". The governments of Colombia, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Uruguay, and Spain jointly stated their deep concern and opposition to US's unilateral military action against Venezuela, noting that it violates international law and the fundamental principles of the UN Charter. The European Union emphasized that "international law and the principles of the UN Charter must be respected under all circumstances".
No country should act as the world's police , nor should any country style itself as the world's judge. The rights of Venezuela as a sovereign state must not be violated, and the Venezuelan people should not be plunged into turmoil imposed from outside. The US should earnestly heed the voice of justice from the international community, immediately release President Maduro and his wife, cease its subversion of the Venezuelan government, and resolve issues through dialogue and negotiation.
Allowing hegemonism to spread unchecked will shake the foundation of global stability. Every country unwilling to live under the "law of the jungle" must resolutely uphold international law and the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, and take a clear stand against all unilateral acts of bullying. This is not only a defense of international fairness and justice, but also a commitment to a peaceful future for the world.
Editor's note: Originally published on people.com.cn, this article is translated from Chinese into English and edited by the China Military Online. The information and opinions in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of eng.chinamil.com.cn.