U.S. Maduro Removal Could Erode Global Norms, UK Says
Emily Thornberry, chair of Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee, warned that the forced extraction of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro by US forces and his subsequent transfer to American custody threatens to undermine international legal frameworks while establishing a perilous precedent.
Her comments followed the US military operation that resulted in Maduro's capture alongside his wife, Cilia Flores. US President Donald Trump subsequently announced Washington would maintain control over Venezuela temporarily, deploying US troops if required.
In an interview with media, Thornberry argued that Western governments' failure to deliver a coordinated, forceful response could dismantle established global standards.
"There is no legal basis for this," she stated. "And it sets a really bad precedent for countries such as China and Russia, who may also think: 'Well, we've got spheres of influence, why can't we do things like that within our sphere of influence, like Ukraine or Taiwan?'"
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and senior cabinet members have notably refrained from criticizing the US action.
Starmer told reporters Monday that it is "for the US to justify the action that it has taken."
"It is not straightforward. It is complicated," he added.
Thornberry contended that even verbal rebuke from allied nations could function as a meaningful deterrent.
"To a certain extent, the force of international law is that people generally accept that this is the way that you should behave, and if you don't behave in that way, then there is an international condemnation," she explained. "Although governments always say they don't care, they do care. They do care a lot, and there just needs to be certain international norms."
Without such pushback, she cautioned, the parameters defining acceptable interstate conduct could gradually erode.
Thornberry also expressed alarm over what she characterized as insufficient planning for the power vacuum created by Maduro's removal.
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