Maduro's arrest, according to international law

This world is crazy. Indeed, before dictator Nicolás Maduro was ousted from power in Venezuela, many voices questioned why the US did not take the final step to consummate it, and now that he has been taken to New York where he will be tried on various charges summarized as drug and weapons offenses, they are tearing their hair out condemning the entry of US elite forces into that country.

This is an inconsistent and unacceptable attitude. Those who say that Donald Trump's administration has violated international law by transgressing the principle of non-intervention are unable to refer to the exception to this rule, namely the overriding principle of self-defense, invoked all the time by Trump, which does not require international authorization as it is a unilateral prerogative of states.

The US government constructed a doctrine for what I have called the great liberation of the Venezuelan people, and it was centered on presenting Maduro as an international criminal, head of the Cartel of the Suns, rather than as the de facto president, which became credible under international law, as Washington assumed that drug trafficking was having a negative impact on US youth, mainly, and that they had to act to protect their citizens.

Alongside self-defense lies what is known as collective security, which is invoked to guarantee the protection of the highest legal good, which is human life, and on the basis of which the international community cannot stand idly by.

It is true that the US did not have the authorization of the UN Security Council, which has a monopoly on the use of force on the planet, to adopt this measure, but it is also true that Washington has ended up being legitimized by international public opinion and the Venezuelan population, and irrefutable proof of this has been the notable absence of mass protests inside and outside Venezuela.

Now, Edmundo González must return to the country and be sworn in as president of Venezuela, as Venezuela cannot remain leaderless for any reason, and the US cannot under any circumstances govern the country, only accompany the new president so that the transition process towards full democracy in Venezuela can be affirmed and then consolidated, which is different.

What has happened in Caracas is unique to this country and cannot be repeated in any other, and the countries of the region should issue a statement welcoming the great liberation of the plains, but also emphasizing that what has happened is an absolutely exceptional and atypical event.

In this context, the view of Venezuelan migration must be reengineered, so that the focus should no longer be on deportations or expulsions of irregular migrants, but on creating a genuine regional policy for the return of Venezuelans to their country.

In this task, Peru, which led the Lima Group for the return of Venezuela to democracy, must now focus on creating shared synergies so that the country can move towards a fully democratic and sovereign life.

Hopefully, there will be a domino effect in Nicaragua, Cuba, Algeria, etc.

Miguel Ángel Rodríguez Mackay. Former Foreign Minister of Peru and Internationalist