THE DEATH OF SOVEREIGNTY: OPERATION ABSOLUTE RESOLVE’ AND THE DAWN OF A NEW IMPERIAL ERA

From the streets of Caracas to the halls of the UN, the world reels as the United States upends decades of international law in a high-stakes gamble for geopolitical dominance.

- SUDHIR S. RAVAL

The geopolitical tremors that began in the early hours of January 3, 2026, have sent a clear message to the world: the era of Westphalian sovereignty-the principle that nation-states have exclusive authority over their own territory-is under a state of total siege.

With the execution of 'Operation Absolute Resolve,' the United States has not only apprehended a sitting head of state, Nicolás Maduro, but has also dismantled the fragile architecture of international diplomacy that has governed the post-Cold War world.

What the White House describes as a 'liberation of the Venezuelan people' and a 'necessary strike against narco-terrorism' is being viewed by a significant portion of the global community as an act of naked aggression. As Caracas smolders and the international community fractures, we analyze the profound implications of this unprecedented military intervention.

The fundamental bedrock of the United Nations Charter is Article 2(4), which prohibits the "threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state."By launching a unilateral surgical strike to arrest President Maduro, the U.S. has bypassed the UN Security Council entirely, invoking a controversial interpretation of "Universal Jurisdiction" and "Self-Defense" against nontraditional threats like narco-trafficking.

Legal experts argue that while the Maduro regime faced legitimate accusations of human rights abuses and democratic erosion, these do not grant a foreign power the legal right to invade. The U.S. justification-linking the Venezuelan state to the "Tren de Aragua" criminal organization and accusing it of 'chemical warfare' via fentanyl trafficking-remains thin under the scrutiny of international law. By acting as judge, jury, and executioner, Washington has set a dangerous precedent: if a superpower deems a foreign leader a 'criminal,' it can bypass diplomacy and resort to abduction.