Zibi warns of ‘1930s-style tyranny’ as US intervention in Venezuela sparks outrage. Rise Mzansi leader Songezo Zibi has likened the United States’ bombing of Venezuela and the capture of President Nicolás Maduro and his wife to Adolf Hitler’s actions in Europe in the 1930s, condemning what he described as a flagrant breach of international law. Zibi criticised US President Donald Trump’s military campaign, arguing that it amounted tounlawful regime change.
“International law prohibits a country from attacking another in order to cause regime change,” Zibi said. “Those of us who believe in democracy believe that a bad government must be replaced by a democratically elected one, not a coup, whether engineered locally or by foreigners.” He warned that Washington would justify its actions by pointing to alleged repression and rigged elections underMaduro. “That notwithstanding, this is about the principles of international law,” Zibi said.
“There are a lot of things we don’t like about the governing systems of other countries. None of us have the right to go invade those countries, abduct their presidents out of the country and cause instability.” Political analyst Prof Theo Neethling, head of the Department of Political Studies and Governance at the University of Free State, said the US intervention reflected a broader shift in Washington’s approach to global affairs under Trump. According to Neethling, this approach has been accompanied by a weakening of global institutions and growing instability.
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“At the same time, there has been a noticeable move away from multilateralism in the international system, with institutions such as the United Nations appearing increasingly marginalised and weakened,” he said, adding that these trends were contributing to a more dangerous international environment. He cautioned that continued military interventions by major powers could have far-reaching consequences. “If military interventions and the disregard for international law, such as those witnessed inVenezuelaand earlier in Ukraine are continued by major powers, they carry the risk of leading to international chaos and further destabilisation,” Neethling said.
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