Venezuela: A New Warning to the Global South

This message has multiple recipients and is issued in various codes. For the elites of the Global South, the signal is clear: the accumulation of capital, macroeconomic stability, or even an alliance with secondary powers are not sufficient shields if the hegemon’s core interests are challenged. For social movements and progressive governments, the warning is even more somber: the democratic and peaceful path towards sovereignty can be cut short by brute force when conditions permit. And for global citizens, the message is that the principle of inviolability of heads of state—one of the few remaining sacred consensuses in international law—has been broken. This creates a dangerous precedent: if a president can be kidnapped while exercising their duties, what guarantees exist for any leader who dares to challenge the status quo? The reconfiguration of world power is not an abstract process; it is written with events like this, which redefine what is politically and legally possible.

Crosspost from https://news.abolish.capital/post/30159