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Guest Essay
By Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva
Mr. Lula is the president of Brazil.
The United States’ bombings in Venezuelan territory and the capture of its president on Jan. 3 are yet another regrettable chapter in the continuous erosion of international law and the multilateral order established after World War II.
Year after year, major powers have intensified attacks on the authority of the United Nations and its Security Council. When the use of force to resolve disputes ceases to be the exception and becomes the rule, global peace, security and stability are jeopardized. If norms are followed only selectively, anomie sets in and weakens not only individual states but the international system as a whole. Without collectively agreed-on rules, it is impossible to build free, inclusive and democratic societies.
Heads of state or government — from any country — can be held accountable for actions that undermine democracy and fundamental rights. No leaders have monopolies over the suffering of their peoples. But it is not legitimate for another state to arrogate to itself the right to deliver justice. Unilateral actions threaten stability around the world, disrupt trade and investment, increase refugee flow and further weaken the capacity of states to confront organized crime and other transnational challenges.
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