INTERNATIONAL LAW, STATE SOVEREIGNTY AND THE PRECEDENT OF UNILATERAL INTERVENTION: IMPLICATION OF THE U.S. ACTION IN VENEZUELA FOR GLOBAL POWER POLITICS

The study investigated international law, state sovereignty and the precedent of unilateral intervention: Implications of the U.S. action in Venezuela for global power politics. The U.S. military intervention in Venezuela has been widely condemned as a breach of international law and Venezuelan sovereignty because it involved the use of force without United Nations Security Council authorisation or a clear self-defence justification under the UN Charter, thereby violating the core prohibition on the use of force in international relations. Such actions set a harmful precedent by implying that powerful states can act without legal restraint, weakening global respect for sovereign equality and legal norms. This risks undermining collective security mechanisms, as the expectation of accountability for unauthorised military operations diminishes. Ultimately, this contributes to a shift toward power‑driven politics over a rules‑based international order, threatening the legitimacy of international law. The objectives of the study were: examine the extent to which the United States’ intervention in Venezuela conforms to or violates established principles of international law; analyse the legal justifications advanced for the U.S. action in Venezuela; and assess the consequences of the U.S. intervention in Venezuela for the international legal order and global power politics. The study adopted the realist theory developed by Hans Morgenthau in 1948. The study utilised secondary data sources such as academic books, peer-reviewed journal articles, United Nations publications and official government records among others. The study concluded that the unilateral intervention poses a fundamental challenge to the international legal order. When powerful states use force against other sovereign states without authorisation and avoid accountability, the binding force of international law is undermined. The study recommended that the United Nations should enhance international accountability to ensure all states face consequences for unlawful use of force.