The view on Venezuela

January 26, 2026. Caracas, Venezuela – español – Currently, both within and outside the country, there is much discussion about the United States’ attack on Venezuela. There is a diversity of opinions regarding the reasons, interests, and legality of this action by President Donald Trump.

The United States’ military action against Venezuela has put the region on alert. According to Spanish lawyer Enrique Santiago, speaking to Prensa Latina in Montevideo on January 29, the United States has committed a series of violations of international law. As a result, the American Association of Jurists and other organizations filed a complaint with the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court. The jurist warned that the aggressive actions of President Donald Trump’s administration are plunging the world into a lawless environment and could trigger countless international conflicts, even leading to a world war. The actions of the U.S. government represent a danger to humanity through the increase in its military force and deployment, abandoning more peaceful and diplomatic solutions.

Many state representatives and public figures have spoken out against the US actions. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez called for de-escalation following the US military attack on Venezuela and urged respect for international law and the principles of the UN Charter. Belarus joined Russia in condemning the action, calling it an act of aggression by the United States against Venezuela and warning that the situation could become a second Vietnam for Washington. Chilean President Gabriel Boric expressed his government’s concern and condemnation of the US military actions in Venezuela and called for a peaceful resolution to the crisis. Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva stated on Saturday that the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, as well as the bombing of the South American country by the US government, “cross an unacceptable line.” In Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum strongly condemned the attack and demanded immediate action from the UN.

For its part, the Tricontinental Institute for Social Research published an extensive article detailing the reasons why the legitimacy of the attack is being questioned and the possible economic interests that guided such actions.

Milena Sterio, James A. Thomas Distinguished Professor of Law at Cleveland State University School of Law and Executive Director of the International Law and Public Policy Group, states: “It is important to emphasize that the US attack against Venezuela represents a threat to the international legal order, as it underscores a blatant disregard for relevant international law norms and opens the door to other similar actions by powerful nations in the future.” https://opiniojuris.org/2026/01/06/the-united-states-attack-against-venezuela-might-does-not-make-right/

The Coordinator of Development Organizations in Spain stated: The violation of international law is not a technical matter; it is the foundation that separates the multilateral order from the law of the strongest. When the rules are dismantled, authoritarianism proliferates, civic space shrinks, and dynamics of militarization, conflict, and plunder are fueled.

Regardless of one’s sympathy or rejection of the Nicolás Maduro government, what is at stake is the legality of the military and interventionist actions by the US government and how these actions may be linked to the growth of an authoritarian policy that violates international agreements, endangers peace, and promotes military power over diplomacy.

Fabiola Cardozo

Sociologist, specialist in International Humanitarian Law, Master’s student in Women’s Studies at the Central University of Venezuela, Venezuelan mother, collaborator in social research organizations against war and the military recruitment of young people and children.