US against Venezuela: No Lawless Zone
The U.S. Air Force strikes on boats in the Caribbean are in breach of international law. Trump's threats signal that worse is likely to come.
Since early September, the U.S. Air Force, acting on orders from U.S. President Donald Trump, has killed at least 83 people in strikes on boats in both the Caribbean and the eastern Pacific, allegedly for transporting drugs out of Venezuela and, therefore, endangering U.S. national security. The Trump administration has not yet provided any evidence that this is occurring.
Even with proven evidence, the air attacks would still be considered a war crime and a severe breach of international law. This applies not only to the killing of two shipwrecked men, revealed by the U.S. media, in a second bombardment of their already largely destroyed vessel, an incident that has now finally sparked long-overdue criticism in Washington of the Trump administration’s policy toward Venezuela.
The violation of international law applies equally to all the other roughly 20 strikes by the U.S. Air Force. International law stipulates that a country may act independently against suspicious boats and ships only within its 12-nautical-mile territorial waters and, initially, only through boarding and searching these vessels, as well as seizing any drugs or other illegal goods, and then by arresting the crew members.
Only in the event of resistance to such measures would the use of military force be permitted. In international waters beyond the 12-mile zone, such measures are only permitted under international law if the United Nations Security Council explicitly authorizes member states to act. The Trump administration made no effort to seek such a resolution.
Moreover, Trump's announced “restriction of Venezuelan airspace,” coupled with the threat of force through the deployment of the U.S. Air Force to enforce that restriction, amounts to a clear violation of international law. All of this holds true irrespective of whether Nicolás Maduro's government is a democracy, an autocracy or a dictatorship. If Trump were to implement his threat, he would, in essence, be Vladimir Putin's partner in crime in a war of aggression that violates international law.
Since early September, the U.S. Air Force, acting on orders from U.S. President Donald Trump, has killed at least 83 people in strikes on boats in both the Caribbean and the eastern Pacific, allegedly for transporting drugs out of Venezuela and, therefore, endangering U.S. national security. The Trump administration has not yet provided any evidence that this is occurring.
Even with proven evidence, the air attacks would still be considered a war crime and a severe breach of international law. This applies not only to the killing of two shipwrecked men, revealed by the U.S. media, in a second bombardment of their already largely destroyed vessel, an incident that has now finally sparked long-overdue criticism in Washington of the Trump administration’s policy toward Venezuela.
The violation of international law applies equally to all the other roughly 20 strikes by the U.S. Air Force. International law stipulates that a country may act independently against suspicious boats and ships only within its 12-nautical-mile territorial waters and, initially, only through boarding and searching these vessels, as well as seizing any drugs or other illegal goods, and then by arresting the crew members.
Only in the event of resistance to such measures would the use of military force be permitted. In international waters beyond the 12-mile zone, such measures are only permitted under international law if the United Nations Security Council explicitly authorizes member states to act. The Trump administration made no effort to seek such a resolution.
Moreover, Trump's announced “restriction of Venezuelan airspace,” coupled with the threat of force through the deployment of the U.S. Air Force to enforce that restriction, amounts to a clear violation of international law. All of this holds true irrespective of whether Nicolás Maduro's government is a democracy, an autocracy or a dictatorship. If Trump were to implement his threat, he would, in essence, be Vladimir Putin's partner in crime in a war of aggression that violates international law.
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