The U.S. intervention in Venezuela: Global reactions and implications

#15 OPEN CONSULTATION MONDAYS, 19 JANUARY 2026

The Global South Perspectives Network’s latest report analyses the 3 January 2026 U.S. military intervention in Venezuela, during which President Nicolás Maduro was captured. The contributors argue that this operation marks a profound rupture in international norms governing sovereignty and the use of force. They observe that the scale and unilateral nature of the attack demonstrate a growing willingness by major powers to act outside multilateral legal frameworks, signalling a shift toward a global environment where coercive action is increasingly normalised.

The report situates the Venezuela intervention within a broader pattern of systemic global violence, noting that conflict is no longer episodic but embedded in political behaviour and institutional weakness. It highlights the decline in the legitimacy and effectiveness of multilateral organisations, particularly the United Nations, which are now seen as unable to restrain powerful states or uphold the norms they were created to protect. This erosion is accompanied by a diminishing sense of global empathy, as the human cost of conflict becomes increasingly normalised in political discourse.

Against this backdrop, the report outlines strategic pathways for the Global South to reclaim agency and resilience. It calls for collective de‑risking to reduce dependence on powerful external actors, reform of global governance institutions to restore balance and credibility, and the development of shared narratives that resist the normalisation of violence. The authors argue that the Venezuela episode should serve as a catalyst for “deliberate interruption”—a conscious effort by Global South states to shape a more equitable and normatively grounded global order rather than passively absorb the consequences of systemic instability.

Read the full report here