Might is Right

THE BASIC PREMISE OF INTERNATIONAL LAW

When Mr. Mike Pompeo, the Secretary of State of the United States of America expresses hope that India will not buy oil from Venezuela, in diplomatic terms the ‘hope’ has to be understood as ‘warning’.  The situation in Venezuela, created by the US and nurtured by the so-called civilized western world, is now reaching its climax and the US is preparing for direct onslaught. They are calling back all their diplomatic staff from Venezuela. It is a grace that they waited for two months for it. They were expecting surrender of the country to the machinations of capitalist regimes. They thought that the people will drive out the illegitimate President Maduro leaving the Chair to the puppet Juan Guaido installed by them. But the people in Venezuela saw through the game and stood by the elected President. They know that all the scarcity was the creation of the sadist west in a naked attempt to catch hold of the rich natural resources of the country.  They talk of human rights as and when they find it convenient for them, particularly when they want to find fault with poor countries and make them feel guilty. They look at the world through their own tainted glasses.

There is scarcity of essential goods in Venezuela. People are starving, patients are dying for want of medicines. But the country cannot use its own assets and income to ameliorate the situation. It is a situation created by the sanctions promulgated by the US. They seized the assets of the country and freezed the same. Nay, they told the banks to transfer all the  balances  in the name of Venezuela to the account of Juan Guaido, who is installed and recognised as the legitimate President of Venezuela. Nobody, none of the civilized countries objected and everybody complied. That is the power of sanctions of America. It has its tentacles spread all over the world into all aspects of human life. Nobody is allowed to have any sort of commercial dealings with the country. How can they survive? That is not their concern. But they blame the government for the inhuman situation and for the troubles of the people. Having created the situation, they shed crocodile tears. They had the temerity to send help to feed the people. That is the price they fixed for the people. But when the trick did not pay, they tried to instigate the neighboring countries to cross over the border. There also they failed as, in spite of the governments willing, they did not dare as the people are against such invasion. Then they resort to sabotage of the systems. The vital line is power. In human history there were days when people did not have electricity. But now we cannot think of a normal way of life without electricity.  Essential services are linked to it. May be that the failure of electricity in the country is not due to sabotage by the US. But being under sanctions for the last two months the country has lost its capacity even to repair the system. Even then they do not think of lifting sanctions and sallow them to eat whatever they have of their own. Strangely, nobody in the comity of nations even suggests that US lift the sanctions and release the assets of Venezuela to feed the people.

Having tasted two world wars, the civilised world has established what is fondly called United Nations Organisation.  It is rendered ineffective by the machinations of the big countries so that it cannot come to the rescue of poor countries. As the organization is expected to have some dignity, the officers of the organization are paid heavy emoluments as remuneration. Naturally, they tend to retain that position safe rather than doing something in furtherance of the objects of the organisation. Consequently there is nothing like international law now prevailing. The only law is might is right. In this unipolar world what the lone super power dictates becomes the law.

But they do not like to be on the wrong side of law. There is legal basis to offer support to the unelected person as against the duly elected person to sit in the chair of President. They say the elections in Venezuela are not legitimate. In this connection it is desirable to look to the legitimacy of those elections. Jimmy Carter, the former President of the US, established a Center to monitor elections over the world. His statement is worth noting. “Of the 92 elections that we have monitored I would say the election process in Venezuela is the best in the world…By way of contrast the US election system, with its emphasis on campaign money is one of the worst.” Now the person elected by the worst system is calling the person elected by the best system as illegitimate. Worse than kettle calling the pot black. Added to that, there are allegations that Trump had advantage of a foreign power undermining the chances of his opponent by which he got elected. But the world accepts him as the legitimate President of the country.

They tried all the tricks to bring down Venezuela to its knees – sanctions, freezing the assets, instigating rebellion by armed forces, offering food to starving people, telling neighbors to invade and finally sabotaging the power system itself. They are thinking of the ‘final solution’ that is, military invasion, one of the ‘options on the table’ waiting all these days. That is why they want to warn the few countries that are having still some dealings with Venezuela.

The attention is turned to India as Reliance Industries of Mukhesh Ambani is doing business with Venezuela. They purchase oil from Venezuela and pay in the form of other products that Venezuela needs. It is almost a barter deal without involving the omniscient dollar. The sanction states that the companies in America shall not deal with Venezuela. In compliance, the Reliance also stopped doing business from America. Now America realized they left a loop hole while declaring sanctions. They want to apply sanctions to all the companies, wherever they are located. Nobody should have any intercourse with Venezuela in any form. How did they get the right to issue sanctions against any government in the world? They have passed an Act called Countering America Adversaries Through Sanctions. As a sovereign country they have the right to pass such laws for their own benefit. But how do they get the right to declare terms to all other sovereign countries to follow suit? The secret lies in their might – both economic and military. They are the lone super power. They have their tentacles spread all over the world in all departments of human life. Directly or indirectly every country – even the so-called socialist countries – has dealings with America. If they forbid that contact or if they tell their banks to freeze the accounts of any country, it becomes the law. And what is law if not the power to execute? That power gives sanctity to the sanctions. Even when the people are suffering, they do not think of relaxing the conditions of sanctions. After all, that is the very purpose of sanctions. Leave alone the other countries. Even the Secretary General of the UNO, President of the Security Council or of the General Assembly fail to open their mouths. They have to keep their positions safe.

They are withdrawing their people from Venezuela. They can do whatever they want with impunity. Who is there to question?  Having found the world bending backwards to support whatever they did, they derive courage to go for final solution. That is what happened with Iraq. It will be repeated with Venezuela.  ​