
Three Legal Fault Lines in U.S. Actions Toward Venezuela
The Conversation piece by Mary Ellen O’Connell argues that U.S. actions in Venezuela—from Sept. 2025 attacks to the Jan. 3, 2026 Caracas raids—violate international law in three major areas: (1) the prohibition on the use of force under the UN Charter absent Security Council authorization or self-defense; (2) immunity of a sitting head of state from foreign prosecutions; and (3) interference with Venezuela’s sovereignty and its permanent rights over natural resources, with broad implications for international trust in the United States.



