‘Might is Right’ Must Fall!

History has a cruel way of repeating itself when we fail to learn from the past. 

On 3 January 2026, the world witnessed a spectacle that was a throwback to a bygone era of colonial conquest. 

That is, the blatant and illegal act of war conducted by the Trump regime in the United States (US) against Venezuela by bombing civilian and military sites and illegally kidnapping Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro and his wife. 

The operative word is kidnap and not “capture” as sanitised headlines suggest. 

The distinction in language is not merely academic. It is a matter of life, death, and the very survival of international order. 
To call this “law enforcement” is a farce. So too calling it an “operation” is a euphemism. 

It was an act of war, a colossal violation of the United Nations Charter, and a direct assault on the territorial integrity of a sovereign nation. International law unambiguously prohibits the use of force in international relations except for narrow exceptions such as authorisation by the UN Security Council or in self-defence.  

None of which happened in this instance. 

Furthermore, drug trafficking does not rise to the accepted international standard of an armed conflict that would justify a military response. 

Just as the 2003 invasion of Iraq was built on the fabricated lie of ‘Weapons of Mass Destruction’ (WMDs), the attack on Caracas has been justified by a similarly hollow pretext, i.e. “drug trafficking”. 

IT’S ABOUT OIL

The Trump administration has labelled Venezuela a “narco-state” to create a legal loophole for aggression. 

Yet, just like the non-existent WMDs in Iraq, this “narco-terrorism” narrative is a manufactured deflection. 

Let’s be clear: It’s All About the Oil. 

Venezuela is said to have world’s largest oil reserves beneath its soil. President Trump has been explicit about this. 

On his instructions oil giants that had previously been denied access to Venezuela’s enormous, state-owned oil reserves will now be invited to “go in” and operate. 

This is not a mission of liberation. It is naked imperialism. A resource grab. 

Masquerading it as a moral crusade will not fool us. 

The Caracas invasion conveys a chilling message to the Global South: Your sovereignty is only as secure as your resources are undesirable to Washington.

This sets a dangerous precedent for the Global South and global order. 

If the “drug trafficking” pretext can be used to abduct and kidnap a sitting president, what prevents the US from carrying out ‘a Venezuela’ in any other country that refuses to submit to the Trump doctrine. 

SA ‘A PRIME TARGET’

In our part of the world, South Africa, arguably, becomes a prime target for such an adventure. 

It is abundantly clear that Washington harbours open hostility towards Pretoria. 

South Africa’s decision to take Israel to the International Court of Justice enraged Washington. 

South Africa has also been at the receiving end of a sustained attack by Washington over unsubstantiated claims about the so-called Afrikaners genocide committed in that country. 

The White House most recently banned South Africans from participating in the G20 while the US holds the presidency of the forum and engaged in a relentless disinformation campaign against that country. 

Namibia, by parity of reasoning, has real reasons to be equally worried. 

In our case, the recent discovery of massive oil deposits in the Orange Basin will, undoubtedly, attract unwelcome guests. 
Meaning, those thinking that our oil resources are theirs to squander and dictate.  

The precedent set here is a proverbial blade pointed at the heart of any nation that dares to hold a different political or economic vision than that of the US. 

Nelson Mandela once famously asked: “Who made the US the police of the world?” 

We must also boldly interrogate the question: What makes Donald Trump think that he is the president of the world? 

‘COWBOY DIPLOMACY’

The peace-loving people of the globe must reject this “cowboy diplomacy” and stand in firm solidarity with the Venezuelan people and by extension the people of the Global South. 

We must reject the cronyism that seeks to turn the world into a series of corporate fiefdoms. 

We must equally rise against attempts to resurrect the discredited and discarded ‘might is right’ doctrine flaunted by Trump and his ilk. 

Lastly, some parting words for those expressing support for Trumpism. 

Trump wants to return the world to the bad old days of imperialism and international lawlessness. 

IT’S UP TO US

International law treats all states as equal. Democracies or dictatorships alike. 

It accordingly does not concern itself as to their internal political machinations. 

It is up to us, ‘we the people’ to deal with the democratic deficits in our respective countries. 

We cannot abdicate this sovereign responsibility to some external saviour (read Trump). 
Also, don’t be fooled. 

Adam Smith reminded us that: “It is not from the benevolence of the butcher, the brewer, or the baker, that we expect our dinner, but from their regard to their own interest.”

* John Nakuta is a social justice scholar. He is a life activist on justice, human rights, the rule of law, and governance. This article is written in his capacity as a Trustee for the Economic Social Justice Trust (ESJT).

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