Navigating Global Politics and Defending Our Right to Self-Determination

The First month of 2026 exposed the fragility of every small nation’s right to self-determination in a geo-political environment regulated not by international law, but by the “law of the jungle”.

The notion that “might is right”, and that sovereign nations can be coerced to bow to the barrel of a gun, speaks to our present reality.

As a small resource-rich country, Namibia has to navigate the minefield of imperial politics that allows military might to trample on others’ national sovereignty and international law.

The key question is how countries like Namibia can preserve their right to self-determination? 

US UNMASKED

The United States (US) attack on Venezuela last month and the kidnapping of its president Nicolas Maduro and his wife marked a violent turn in the history of US imperialism.

It  constituted an unlawful assault on the sovereignty and territorial integrity of  Venezuela and was a blatant breach of the United Nations Charter – the very charter developed to prevent such acts of aggression.

The attack was preceded by statements from US president Donald Trump in which he claimed US ownership over Venezuela’s resources, including oil, minerals and land. 

In other words, the US gave Venezuela an ultimatum: to surrender its autonomy and resources or face a brutal onslaught.  

Those who think this might only apply to Latin America, which the US condescendingly described as its “back yard” and part of its sphere of interest, need to take a second look at the US empire.

It shows clear signs of decline but still maintains an unmatched military presence with more than 800 military bases in over 80 countries.

Its proclaimed sphere of interest covers virtually all significant oil and mineral-rich countries as it desperately tries to limit China’s growing economic importance. 

In the past, the US sugarcoated its interests under the guise of promoting democracy and human rights but the Trump administration doesn’t subscribe to such diplomatic niceties.
Namibia is not immune.

In a recent article (The Namibian, 23 January 2026), Matuikuani Dax noted how the United States offers aid for Namibia’s health sector in exchange for access to Namibia’s minerals.

This will worsen if and when we become an oil-producing country.

UN SIDELINED

In recent months it has become clear that current United Nations (UN) structures are incapable of defending even the most basic rights enshrined in the UN Charter.

The US and its allies could simply shred and trample on these rights. 

The self-proclaimed champions of democracy remained mute; hardly anybody dared speak out. 

The slavish applause Trump received at the UN General Assembly last year speaks volumes.

In Gaza, Israel committed a US-supported genocide and most of the European countries went along with it. 

Now that Trump wants to take over Greenland, Europeans are alarmed and want to find a way out for “middle” countries – meaning themselves. 

These are merely shifts within the Western Alliance with limited impact on Africa.

How then can African and other countries of the Global South defend themselves and their right to make their own political, economic and developmental decisions?

So far, the responses of countries outside the Western Alliance have been muted. 

While most condemned the Venezuela attack, hardly any country was willing to take a principled stance and confront the US. 

Despite Russia having a defence pact with Venezuela supplying some weapons and air defence systems, it could not prevent the attack. 

Ships carrying Venezuelan oil to China were abducted by the US without a significant Chinese response.  

CONTAINMENT?

Instead, there was a widespread attempt to quietly “contain” US imperialism by trying to safeguard some political spaces without directly offending the bully.

This was done by countries like Colombia, Mexico and even Venezuela under acting president Delcy Rodriguez.

Likewise, India and China relied on some kind of diplomatic response while continuing to diversify their political and economic relations beyond the US.  

South Africa, supported by Namibia and a few others, was one of the few countries to take a more principled stance on the genocide in Gaza.

It has (so far) withstood significant  US pressure to withdraw the case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ). 

South Africa also condemned the aggression against Venezuela, defended the UN Charter’s core principles and conducted a joint naval exercise with several Brics states earlier this year.

This signaled that Global South countries do not just have to capitulate to military might.   

WHAT NEXT?

Beyond the short-term approach of containment, there is an urgent need to build new strategic alliances – not on the basis of short-term opportunism but based on shared values and principles.

This has to ensure collective security against imperialist attacks and it must safeguard our right to self-determination in the political, economic and social spheres.

In essence, our hard-won democratic rights are at stake.

Just like we fought against colonialism we must prepare to confront imperialist interests in whatever form or shape they might present themselves.

• Herbert Jauch is the chairperson of the Economic and Social Justice Trust.

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