Statement Venezuela

The US military invasion of Venezuela on 3 January 2026 is an inexcusable attack on Venezuelan sovereignty and a clear act of imperialism. To begin with, it is important to debunk the claim that Maduro's status as a dictator is a valid justification for such violent interventionism. In any case, there is no valid justification for the use of force to this extent. The United States has no power to decide which governments have the right to govern and which do not. Any concerns about a leader's government policies should be addressed diplomatically, in close consultation with third parties such as the United Nations, and even then the use of force should be avoided. This lack of respect for national sovereignty is a worrying and unacceptable threat to international law. We as DWARS North Holland Flevoland strongly condemn this unauthorised intervention by the United States.

While we have noted that the reason for the invasion, as given by the President of the United States, regarding the dictatorship in Venezuela is insufficient, we would also like to point out that we see other ulterior motives behind this attack. Mainly regarding the exploitation of natural resources and the display of power. Venezuela happens to have the largest proven oil reserves in the world. It is not the only dictatorship in the world, even in the region.

However, perhaps an even more alarming motive for the Trump administration is to demonstrate a shift in US foreign policy towards a more unilateral approach, which will have significant implications for the current era of conflict resolution through diplomacy. In addition, we want to elaborate on the implications this attack will inevitably have for international law.

First, this attack sets a dangerous precedent for what is considered acceptable behaviour in global affairs, especially since it was carried out by the state that has declared itself a champion of the liberal world order. This new norm will reinforce other unjust claims against sovereign states, such as Russia's war against Ukraine. Finally, this escalation of events should be a warning to all that the President of the United States is capable of delivering on his threats against Greenland. This is a crucial moment for the Netherlands and Europe as a whole to attach maximum importance to legitimate de-escalation measures.

English:

The military invasion of Venezuela by the United States which took place on the 3rd of January 2026 is an inexcusable attack on Venezuelan sovereignty and a clear act of imperialism. For starters, it is important to debunk the claim that Maduro's status as a dictator is a valid justification for such violent interventionism. In any case, there is no valid justification for the use of force to this degree. The United States has no jurisdiction to decide over which governments have the right rule and which do not. Any concerns over the ruling practices of a leader must be dealt with diplomatically, through heavy consultation with third parties such as the United Nations, and even then, must refrain from the use of force. This lack of adherence to national sovereignty is a concerning and unacceptable threat to international law. We as DWARS Noord-Holland Flevoland strongly condemn this unauthorised intervention by the United States.

Although we have established that the reason for invasion, given by the POTUS, regarding the dictatorship in Venezuela to be insufficient, we would also like to point out that we see other ulterior motives behind this attack. Mainly regarding the exploitation of natural resources and demonstrating power. Venezuela happens to hold the world's largest proven oil reserve, it is not the only dictatorship in the world, not even in the region.

However, perhaps an even more alarming motive for the Trump administration is to showcase a shift in US foreign policy towards a more unilateral approach, which will have significant consequences on the current era of conflict resolution through diplomacy. Additionally we would like to expand on the implications on international law that this attack will inevitably have.

Firstly, this attack sets a dangerous precedent as to what is deemed acceptable behaviour within global affairs, especially since it was conducted by the state which was the self proclaimed champion of the liberal world order. This new norm will strengthen other unjust claims to sovereign states such as Russia's war on Ukraine. As a final note, this escalation of events should be a warning to all that the POTUS is capable of acting on his threats for Greenland. This marks a crucial point for the Netherlands and Europe as a whole to place a great deal of importance on legitimate de-escalation measures to our greatest ability.