Were the US actions in Venezuela legal under international law? An expert explains

Commentators have been quick to describe the US strikes in Venezuela as a breach of article 2(4) of the UN charter. Sarah Heathcote examines the issue

Protestors denounce the US government and Trump near the US embassy in Seoul, South Korea, on Monday after US forces capture Nicolás Maduro and his wife. Photo:/Lee Jin-man

United States President Donald Trump has said the US will “run” Venezuela until a new government is installed, following the US military intervention in the country’s capital, Caracas.

American forces have seized Venezuela’s president, Nicolás Maduro, and his wife, and brought the pair to the US to face what Trump has described as a “narco-terrorism” trial. This follows months of build-up of US military forces in the region.