Shashi Tharoor calls US action against Venezuela a case of 'might is right'

In a post on X, Tharoor—who also chairs Parliament’s Standing Committee on External Affairs—said international law and the UN Charter were increasingly being ignored.

“International law and the UN Charter have for some years now been honoured in the breach. The Law of the Jungle prevails today. ‘Might is Right’ is the new creed,” he wrote.

Tharoor was responding to a post by author Kapil Komireddi, who highlighted what he described as hypocrisy in Washington’s actions.

Komireddi argued that countries condoning the US operation in Venezuela would invoke international law if China were to abduct Taiwan’s president.

After months of pressure and threats, the United States on Saturday launched a military operation against Venezuela, toppling Maduro’s government and taking the left-wing leader into custody.

He was later flown to New York to face charges related to drug trafficking and illegal weapons possession. Maduro had a $50 million US bounty on his head.

US President Donald Trump posted an image on Truth Social showing Maduro handcuffed and blindfolded aboard a US naval vessel in the Caribbean, saying he followed the operation live from his Mar-a-Lago estate “like watching a television show.”

The operation brought an abrupt end to 12 years of Maduro’s rule, triggering sharply divided reactions worldwide.

Venezuela’s opposition leader and Nobel Peace laureate María Corina Machado hailed the development as the country’s “hour of freedom” and called for the opposition’s candidate in the 2024 election to immediately assume the presidency.

Trump, however, dismissed the prospect of Machado emerging as Venezuela’s leader, claiming she lacked “support or respect” within the country.

The dramatic US intervention has reignited debate over sovereignty, international law, and Washington’s role in shaping political outcomes in Latin America.