Two weeks ago, the US military kidnapped the president of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro, and his wife.
Under the instruction of US President Donald Trump, the Venezuelan capital of Caracas was bombed, leading to military and civilian casualties, and the leader of a sovereign nation was captured and sent to the US to face trial.
While leaders of the Global South were outraged, European leaders largely refused to condemn Trump’s actions, with some even applauding the illegal operation that violated international law, arguing that Maduro was a dictator and that his capture was a victory for democracy.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, asked whether he would condemn the attack, said he wanted to “establish the facts” and speak to Trump, later insisting Britain would “shed no tears” over the end of Maduro’s government.
German Chancellor, Friedrich Merz, a trained lawyer, strictly refused to condemn the attack on a sovereign country, arguing that the legal classification of the US intervention was “complex” and that the German government was taking its time to consider it.
Merz also expressed his satisfaction with the kidnapping of Maduro, whom he accused of leading Venezuela to ruin, rigging the elections and being part of Venezuela’s alleged drug trade.
He stated that Germany therefore did not recognise Maduro’s presidency.
French president, Emmanuel Macron, said the Venezuelan people now had “reason to rejoice”.
He also stated that power should be handed over to Edmundo González Urrutia, who lost to Maduro in the 2024 presidential election.
Just days after Maduro’s kidnapping, the EU released a statement, which was supported by all 27 EU member states with the exception of Hungary, in which they welcomed the overthrow of Maduro and did not once condemn the US operation that led to his capture.
A continent that prides itself on being committed to a rules-based order and championing human rights proudly affirmed support for an operation that was illegal under both international and domestic US law.
It was debilitating to watch.
But then, within hours, Trump turned on the EU, and specifically, on Nato allies, by stating he would consider military action to take Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark, a country that is both a Nato and EU member.
What had once sounded like the threats of a madman has started to seem very possible after what Trump did in Venezuela.
The US has military capability and a president who is unhinged enough to actually go to war with a Nato member state.
Suddenly, the same European leaders who supported his unlawful action in Latin America are preaching “respect for sovereignty” and the importance of a rules-based order.
The problem with European leaders has always been that they have believed themselves invincible.
They thought that if they placated Trump, as they have been doing since his return to office, that if they continued to bend over backwards and accept his bullying, if they said what he needed to hear, even if it was unprincipled and downright criminal, it would shield them from his derangement.
But there is also a racist element to their worldview, which is why they were OK with international law being violated in Venezuela, a Latin American nation, and Palestine, an Arab nation.
The violation of international law has only become a problem because it is a European nation under threat.
This same approach happened when they condemned Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, a European nation, but supported Israel’s genocide in Palestine.
As they prepare for possible war with a superpower against whom they will not win, may they remember the words of Friedrich Nietzche who warned: “No power can be maintained when it is represented by hypocrites.”
The Herald
