Rules for some, silence for others: The double standards of global justice

Every major global crisis today is accompanied by familiar language of sovereignty, international law, rules-based order.

- DR ANKITA SHARMA

Yet behind this vocabulary lies an uncomfortable truth: global justice is no longer applied evenly. Some states are disciplined, sanctioned, and shamed for violating international norms, while others bend, reinterpret, or ignore those same rules with little consequence. This growing inconsistency isnotaccidental; it reflects a global order where power increasingly determines legality. As conflicts multiply and diplomacy weakens, the selective application of International law has become one of the most serious threats to global stability.

THE UNITED STATES: CHAMPION OF RULES, EXCEPTION TO THEM

The United States remains one of the most vocal defenders of democracy and international norms. However, its recent actions expose a persistent gap between advocacy and practice. U.S. involvement in Venezuela offers a clear example. Military and political interventions, justified on security and governance grounds, proceeded without broad international authorisation. Several Latin American nations condemned these actions as violations of sovereignty, yet no meaningful legal accountability followed. The message was unmistakable: when power acts, the law adapts.