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International Law in Tatters
Should we be surprised by the decision of President Trump to kidnap President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores? Should we be shocked by his claim that the US will now administer Venezuela or that US Oil companies will manage Venezuela’s huge oil reserves? And what of his threats against Cuba, Colombia, Mexico, Greenland, Nigeria and others?
The historical reality is that we have seen all of this before. The most brazen example this century was the invasion of Iraq in 2003, under the pretext of the non-existent weapons of mass destruction. The truth then was that US and British interests were primarily concerned with the control of Iraq’s oil. The result was a million Iraqi dead and a region torn apart by the subsequent political instability. International law was flagrantly broken. Torture and a brutal occupation followed.
But for Trump and his political allies the most potent example of how far they can go in their use of military force is evident daily in Israel’s relentless and deadly genocide against the people of Palestine. With the backing of the USA, Britain and other key allies Israel has driven a horse and carriage through established international law. The record speaks for itself.
· The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has condemned Israel and called for an end to its illegal occupation of the Palestinian.
· The ICJ has accused Israel of violating international law.
· In November 2024, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and others in his government.
· The UN Human Rights Chief, Volker Turk, condemned Israeli strikes that continue to kill civilians and the ongoing blockade of essential humanitarian aid.
· The UN Human Rights Council, the UN General Assembly, the UN Security Council, and the International Court of Justice, have all issued condemnations, passed resolutions, or made findings criticising Israeli actions.
· Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) are just some of the humanitarian and human rights organizations that have condemned Israel.
All of these decisions and the accompanying condemnation have not made a blind bit of difference to President Trump or Benjamin Netanyahu. International law has been so badly damaged by Israel’s genocidal war and US, British and others collusion in it, that it now largely impotent. This was evident in the extra-judicial killing by the Trump Administration of alleged drug traffickers in the Caribbean in recent months and the build-up of American forces in the region, all of which was part of creating a context for last weekend’s invasion of Venezuela.
According to some experts in international law there is no legal justification for the use of force against a suspect drug trafficker or to promote democracy in Venezuela. That would have required a UN mandate which was not asked for or given.
President Trump was explicit in his comments following the invasion. The USA will be “running it (Venezuela) with a group and we’re going to make sure it’s run properly … We’re designating people. We’re talking to people. We’re designating, various people.” He added that “we’re going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition.” And in stark contrast to his pre-election commitment of not sending US troops into foreign wars he told the media that he is “not afraid” of putting American boots on the ground.
The reality is that this is not about drugs. A few weeks ago Trump pardoned former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez, who was convicted of smuggling more than 400 tons of cocaine into the U.S.A. He was said to be at the centre of “one of the largest and most violent drug-trafficking conspiracies in the world.” And Hernandez is not the only drug trafficker to be pardoned by Trump
The attack on Venezuela is about oil and is part of Trump’s plan to exert control over North and South America. Venezuela has the largest oil reserves in the world. It is believed to hold about 17% of global reserves or 303 billion barrels. It produces mainly heavy oil that most of America's refineries use to keep its cars and transport system running. Currently it imports around 6,000 barrels of heavy oil daily for processing in its refineries. Now according to the US President, “the very large United States oil companies, the biggest anywhere in the world” are going to go in and fix Venezuela’s broken infrastructure. US domination of Venezuela will be solely in US interests and not those of the people of Venezuela.
Trump’s strategy is not new. The USA has a violent history of aggression in central and Latin America. Its efforts at regime change have been catastrophic for the entire region. Here are just some examples:
1846 – Mexico
1898 – Cuba
1903 – Panama
1909 – Nicaragua
1913 – Mexico
1915 – Haiti
1932 – El Salvador
1944 – Guatemala
1946 – Bolivia
1952 – Cuba
1962 – Brazil
1963 – Ecuador
1973 – Chile
1973 – Uruguay
1976 – Argentina
1979 - Nicaragua
1980 – El Salvador
1983 – Grenada
1989 – Panama
2026 – Venezuela
There can be no equivocation. The invasion of Venezuela is wrong. The kidnapping of its President and his wife is wrong. And international law has to be defended. There is no alternative to respecting the national sovereignty of nations while using diplomacy to resolve difference. In all of this the Irish government must take a leadership role. It must use our voice in the United Nations and in other international forums to speak out against military adventures and in defence of national self-determination.
The Fellow in the Big Picture
Over the Christmas break I watched more television than I do at any other time. Regular readers will know that I’m more of a radio man. RTE Radio, Raidió na Gaeltachta, Raidió Fáilte, Radio Ulster. I listen to these every day. But I like westerns. And there is always a ton of westerns to be seen on television over the Christmas period. Some are old ones featuring Audie Murphy, Gene Audrey, Alan Ladd, John Wayne, Maureen O Hara and the likes. TG4 usually has a good selection of these.
They also show a lot of movies featuring Clint Eastwood. I like his films. And not just the westerns. Although he first came to our attention in Ballymurphy with Rawhide. Unforgiven was the film of choice this Nollaig with Gene Hackman and Morgan Freeman, all in starring roles. And it was followed by Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.
I used to be very friendly with a man called Jack Webb. Jack is now dead. He was a former police officer from San Francisco. In his retirement he ran a pub there called Irelands 32. And he was a member of Noraid and a regular visitor to Ireland and Belfast.
Rumour has it that one of Clint Eastwood’s characters, Dirty Harry, was based on Jack’s career as a police officer. Jack never mentioned that to me and I never asked him but from our excursions with him and Richard on our occasional visits to San Fran he certainly had some of Dirty Harry’s more benign characteristics. He also had a great sense of humour.
Eastwood is still making movies. At the age of ninety-five. He was asked once how he keeps going at that age.
'Don’t let the old man.’ he growled in reply.
Jack Webb would agree. So do I.
Irish government should be ashamed
2026 began for the people of the Gaza Strip and the Palestinian Occupied Territories with more Israeli attacks by land and sea and air; winter storms that have added to the enormous hardship of people trying to survive in flimsy tents; and the denial of appropriate humanitarian aid.
2025 also ended with Israel having killed nearly half of all those journalists killed last year. Reporters Without Borders recorded that 29 reporters were killed by Israeli forces making Israel “the worst enemy of journalists.”
The deliberate targeting of journalists and the refusal to allow international media into the Gaza Strip is a deliberate policy intended to hide the truth of Israel’s genocide. To add to this the Israeli government has now imposed a ban on 37 humanitarian organisations, including Doctors Without Borders (MSF) from operating in the Gaza Strip.
These organisaitons regularly report on the conditions confronting the civilian population and contradict the lies told by Israeli officials. The consequence of the ban this will be more hardship, more deaths, more children dying. Last week the United Nations human rights chief Volker Turk described the NGO ban as “the latest in a pattern of unlawful restrictions on humanitarian access” in the occupied Palestinian territory.
The humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza and the west Bank means that the Palestinian people need more services not less. Israel’s attack on humanitarian aid demands a firm response from the international community. The Irish government can give a lead on this by implementing the Occupied Territories Bill urgently. It’s stalling is reprehensible and its refusal to include a ban on services coming out of Israeli settlements on Palestinian land, is disgraceful. Micheál Martin, Simon Harris and co. should be ashamed of their lack of action.
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