—Mahfuzur Rahman—

Nicolas Maduro may be a bad guy. Maybe he was in power by force. He has carried out unjust torture and torture on the opposition to remain in power. He has displaced millions of people by force. He has killed opponents without trial, without proving their guilt. The number of such extrajudicial killings may be in the thousands. He has committed irregularities and rigged elections to prolong his tenure. Now, if a bad path is chosen to punish a bad guy, that is, if steps are taken outside the purview of the law, then it does not stop irregularities and injustice but rather indulges them.

Niccolo Machiavelli’s consequentialist philosophy is five hundred years old. If we still apply that philosophy and claim that the end justifies the means, maybe we ourselves will prove to be as outdated as Machiavelli’s days. Instead, many argue that the just tools may eventually bring the just end.

Venezuela’s conflict with the United States is a long-standing one: since the beginning of this century, when Hugo Chavez was elected president of Venezuela. Nicolas Maduro was Chavez’s preferred successor. But just as Chavez was able to keep Venezuela more or less together, Maduro has failed there. He has failed to provide good governance, as he has failed to ensure economic prosperity. As a result, there were many opponents in Venezuela. Even when Parliament President Juan Guaidó challenged Maduro’s presidential victory in 2019 and instead declared himself president, he received the support of as many as 88 countries, including the West.

In 2017, the United States imposed sanctions on Maduro. In 2020, the United States attempted an armed coup against Maduro but failed. The same year, a US federal court indicted him on drug trafficking charges. In 2025, a $50 million reward was announced for his arrest. The CIA has been trying for several years to buy off Maduro’s pilot in exchange for money. So that when Maduro is on board, the pilot can fly the plane to a place where the US Army can arrest him. Maduro had so far been able to deal with all of these. But he could not continue that streak in the end.

Two of Maduro’s relatives were convicted by a US court for drug trafficking. Later they were released in a prisoner swap arrangement. Venezuela is not known for drug trafficking. There is no court ruling accusing Maduro of narcotrafficking. Everyone says that drugs are not an issue here.

Perhaps, the main issue is oil. Leaders of some African countries used to say that having gold or diamond reserves is not a blessing for their country but a curse. Perhaps, Venezuela’s main curse is its oil reserves.

Due to American sanctions, Venezuela is barred from selling oil in the international market. No shipping line is allowed to carry Venezuelan oil. No ship carrying Venezuelan oil can use any port. No insurance company can insure Venezuelan oil. The US dollar cannot be used as a medium of transaction for oil. Only with the help of the Chinese government and relevant Chinese companies, Venezuela can sell its oil. This oil is being traded in its own currency or through barter. It is not just that the United States is unable to bar Venezuela’s oil trade. Rather, the main anger or fear of the United States may be that if the Venezuelan oil trade continues, on the one hand, it will be difficult to check the rise of China, and on the other, the dollar-based world trading system may collapse.

Therefore, by overthrowing Maduro and bringing Venezuela under its control, there are benefits for the United States from all sides. The dollar-based international trade system can be continued. If American companies are involved in extracting Venezuelan oil, Venezuelan oil can be seized, American companies will be profitable, and the US economy will get a positive wind. The international oil market can be monitored. The rise of China can be checked. A message can be sent in Latin America and the world about America’s might. Maduro’s sarcastic remarks can also be answered.

Can one country remove the president of another country whenever it wants to? Is it that simple? The answer is no. The UN member states that are signatories to the UN Charter are not allowed to act in any manner that undermines the sovereignty of another member state. On the contrary, almost all countries have some degree of extraterritorial jurisdiction in their laws. The same is true for the US, and incidentally, it applies it randomly and frequently. They killed Osama bin Laden through a similar operation conducted inside the territory of Pakistan without giving any indication of it to Pakistani authorities concerned. Long ago, the US abducted President Noriega from Panama, another Latin American country, and imprisoned him. Well, before taking such a big step, it is pertinent that logical ground is prepared. The issue has to be rationalised. Maduro may have made a lot of outrageous speeches against the United States. Some of these may be provocative. Maduro may be a dictator. But none of this justifies h

The legality of this abduction under US law is also questionable. To my knowledge, this abduction operation has not been discussed in Congress. The Congress has not approved it. No international organisation or court has ruled against Maduro. As a result, this US initiative will raise big questions in the future. What if Russia takes over Ukrainian President Zelenskyy? What if China takes over Taiwan? The international system, including the UN, was established because everyone realised that everything cannot be controlled by force. The US has clearly exposed the limitations of this system. As a result, Israel is able to attack Gaza despite international criticism. Many other countries will also be encouraged. Violation of territorial sovereignty will increase. Big countries will often violate the territorial integrity of smaller countries. They will be encouraged to interfere in the domestic affairs of small countries. Venezuela may now realise how big the hands of the Americans are, but the breakdown of the

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The writer is a former Bangladeshi Ambassador