Venezuela will once again expose flaws in UN Security Council

THE United Nations (UN) needs no reminder of  Winston Churchill’s words “never let a good crisis go to waste”.

He is said to have made the remarks in the middle of World War II and importantly, in the context of forming the UN.

Therefore chances of the current UN membership, especially its security council not being familiar with his message are slim. 

The current crisis engineered by  Donald Trump’s invasion of Venezuela is a test that the UN should ordinarily deal with to prevent history repeating itself. But that won’t happen, not because there is a lack of political will to do so, but because of  flaws within the security council. 

It failed to act when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu launched what is now evidently a genocidal attack in Gaza with the help of the US, which provided it with weapons in its indiscriminate war.

The conflict between Russia and Ukraine should not have continued this long if the UN  lived up to the objectives of its existence. The possibility of that war spilling over to the rest of Europe cannot be ruled out. 

That world peace is more fragile than has been since the end of World War II is a reality that cannot be simply ignored. Trump’s attack and kidnapping of Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro renders the role of the UN rather meaningless in the absence of a concrete plan on how it intends to prevent any escalation of the situation.

Trump’s declaration of wanting to ‘run that’ country should be enough justification for the UN to go beyond the fancy speeches. 

If  Trump’s actions are in violation of international law, then the UN should hold him accountable, just like it has done when its courts accuse African leaders of the same crimes.

However none of this will happen because the US, like the other four permanent security council members will veto whatever resolution it deems to be at odds with its interests and that is the end of it. 

Therefore Venezuela is likely to become another wasted crisis, resembling events that followed when the US forced regime changes in Libya, Afghanistan and Iraq.

CAPE TIMES