Venezuela (Jackpot January #7)

You cannot kidnap another country’s leader.

I know I’m preaching to the choir here, I don’t think anyone who reads this disagrees with me. But still, you cannot kidnap another country’s leader.

In the name of ‘impartiality’, journalists and pundits are trying to goad left-wing figures like Corbyn into admitting support for Maduro. Predictably, regrettably, many tankies are coming out of the woodwork to actively refuse to condemn him.

Let me be very clear: Maduro was a dictator. He seized power in his country through a ‘contested’ (i.e. fraudulent) election and proceeded to continue a decades-long campaign of repression against his rivals and his own citizens. But you cannot kidnap another country’s leader.

To be fair, heavy US sanctions and coercive trade deals have severely imperilled Venezuela’s economic growth. There is a good deal of truth in the idea that America’s interference in the country has stifled its ability to develop autonomously, as is the case in many other American countries. Venezuelan society and economy would have struggled under any leader due to the US stranglehold; nonetheless, Maduro used dictatorial tactics and doled out violence to his subjects. Still, you cannot kidnap another country’s leader.

Such kidnapping is a clear violation of international law. Article 2(4) of the UN charter prohibits ‘use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state.’ The US has torn a foreign president away from a country and chucked him in jail. I’d call that force.

Of course, not every law is just. Some people claim to earnestly believe that, if a country’s leader shows signs of authoritarianism, then other countries should be able to intervene however they like. I disagree, but could at least respect this opinion if the principle were applied consistently. If violence against one’s own people justifies kidnapping, then we can kidnap any politician who deploys police on their populace. Any country can kidnap Trump, I guess, for deploying the National Guard. May as well make Starmer disappear for his party’s crackdown on protests. Need I mention Netanyahu?

The pro-interventionist principle relies on an empty-headed moral appeal. On first blush it is empathetic; no-one likes a despot, after all. But the interloper fails to properly consider harm reduction. Trump has made Maduro vanish and now the acting head of state is… the vice president, Delcy Rodríguez. Another party loyalist. They could have chosen González or Machado to lead, and the results would have been much the same: social division, economic insecurity, and the threat of a coup. The GOP don’t care about the morals, of course. For them, it’s about power and oil. But regardless of the motivations, this is why you cannot kidnap another country’s leader.

We can and should hold our leaders and representatives to account. In fact, as an anarchist, I’d encourage that we do this constantly to all of them and refuse to trust a word they say until they start delivering. But there has to be a procedure beyond just ripping away a head of state. If we want to put a monster on trial (and please, let’s make good on the ICC’s arrest warrant for Netanyahu), we must co-operate internationally. Countries, continents, and trading blocs need to come together and present a united front, with sanctions, boycotts, and public pressure for all the criminals in chief to face justice.