Following the United States’ military operation in Venezuela and the seizure of President Nicolas Maduro, the future of the South American nation remains uncertain.
The White House has framed the action as part of a crackdown on narcotics trafficking, but critics say it represents a stark breach of international law and state sovereignty.
Ngāti Maniapoto descendant Gabriella Brayne, a member of Te Kuaka an independent organisation of legal academics, activists, lawyers and foreign policy experts described the operation as “modern-day colonialism, unmasked to its most audacious extent.”
“The US has a long history of meddling in the domestic politics of sovereign states to serve its own economic aims,” Brayne said.
She described the circumstances surrounding Maduro’s seizure as “bewildering,” adding the episode reflected “the brazen insanity of an empire in decline.”
Former minister of foreign affairs Nanaia Mahuta also criticised the US action, saying it contravenes international law and territorial sovereignty, and that Venezuela’s leadership should be considered by the International Criminal Court.
President Donald Trump has accused Maduro of leading a narcotics trafficking network and blamed him for thousands of overdose deaths in the US. Maduro is reportedly being held in a federal jail in New York. Brayne, however, rejected the administration’s justification.
“This obviously has nothing to do with the US’s so-called concerns for narco trafficking,” she said.
“At its core, it’s about expanding the US precedent of empire and recapturing American corporate access to oil reserves.”
Brayne said Venezuela holds the largest proven oil reserves in the world, larger than Saudi Arabia’s, and that US intentions must be understood in the context of reforms under former president Hugo Chavez, who moved to nationalise the country’s oil resources in the early 2000s.
On Capitol Hill, Democrats are preparing legislation aimed at limiting presidential powers to launch major military operations without congressional approval.
