US Captures Maduro, Forgets How 'International Law' Works
NPR's breaking news that Nicolás Maduro has been 'captured by U.S. forces early Saturday' and is awaiting trial in New York City is certainly... a story. What's omitted, however, is the inconvenient history lesson that nations typically don't kidnap leaders of sovereign states without a declaration of war. One might recall similar U.S. 'justice projects,' like General Manuel Noriega of Panama,
forcefully removed in 1989 after the U.S. invasion, tried in Miami, and, ironically, later served time in French and Panamanian prisons. This pursuit of 'justice' rings hollow when countless US-backed dictators, proven human rights violators, and coup instigators (Pinochet, Suharto, anyone?) have enjoyed comfortable retirements, never facing American courts. The selective application of
'international law' isn't just biased; it's a propaganda tool, used to legitimize interventions when Washington deems a government inconvenient, resource-rich, or insufficiently compliant. How many 'international criminals' does the U.S. host versus how many it abducts?