Columbia University professor Jeffrey Sachs has criticized U.S. military action that led to the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife on Saturday, describing the United States as a "war machine" and accusing it of violating international law.
The Venezuelan government said the strikes hit civilian and military sites in at least four states, including Caracas, Miranda, Aragua and La Guaira, and called the U.S. action a blatant violation of the UN Charter.
Sachs, director of the Center for Sustainable Development at Columbia University, said the intervention was a grave breach of international law and the UN Charter.
"This is another very dire violation of international law. It's more U.S.-led violence. The United States is a war machine. This is a thuggish regime that we have right now. It is extra-constitutional. It is not governed by law. But most importantly, most tragically, most dangerously, this U.S. government has ripped up the UN Charter. The UN Charter is not a game. The UN Charter is our lifeline. It is a way to avoid the disasters of war that befell the world twice in world wars in the 20th century. But the United States, I think pretty much alone in the world, is ripping up the UN Charter. The United States doesn't care at all," said Sachs.
The U.S. action in Venezuela has drawn criticism at home and abroad, with several lawmakers publicly opposing the military strikes and protests erupting in cities including New York, Washington and Los Angeles. In Caracas, Venezuelans also gathered on Saturday to condemn the attacks.
Columbia professor criticizes US as "war machine" over Venezuela military action
International figures have condemned the U.S. strikes on Venezuela and its capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife on Saturday, stating that the actions constitute a serious breach of international law and set a dangerous precedent that undermines global norms.
Ines Schwerdtner, chairman of Germany's The Left party, stated in an interview with China Media Group (CMG) on Monday that the international community should condemn the U.S. attack on Venezuela and its forcible seizure of Maduro. She emphasized that Europe must not apply double standards on this issue.
"The kidnapping and hijacking of another country's president is a clear violation of international law. We strongly condemn this. This is state terrorism. The German government and the European Union should condemn it and make clear that there must be no double standards on this issue. Any violation of another country's sovereignty contravenes international law," said Ines Schwerdtner.
Marcos Cordeiro Pires, a professor of International Political Economy at Sao Paulo State University in Brazil, also stated in an interview with CMG that the U.S. forced seizure of the Venezuelan president is an extremely illegal act that violates all basic principles of the UN Charter.
"This is completely illegal. And it sets an extremely dangerous precedent for other countries, especially for regions like Latin America which have no nuclear weapons and lack self-defense capabilities. It affects all countries because it openly challenges international rules and international law. Therefore, we must be highly vigilant and firmly condemn the unilateral, violent, and illegal actions that occurred in Venezuela on Saturday," said Marcos Cordeiro Pires.
International figures condemn US military strike on Venezuela
