On the brink

The rules-based international order the US likes to harp on is close to collapsing.

The year 2026 began with a display of blatant disregard for international laws by the global hegemon, the United States, as Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, along with his wife, was apprehended from their residence in Caracas and subsequently airlifted to the US in the wee hours of January 3. Maduro was captured to face a 2020 federal indictment in New York, on charges, including narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, and possession of machine guns and destructive devices. On January 5, he was brought to a Manhattan federal court where he pleaded not guilty to all charges. During the hearing, he claimed he was a ‘prisoner of war’ and had been ‘kidnapped’. Following recent developments, many now consider the words of this autocrat—who has stifled dissent at home and stole elections—more credible than those of the oil-stealing ‘leader of the free world’.