The dawn of 2026 has been marked by a severe violation of international norms, casting a long shadow over global stability. In a brazen act of military power, United States forces attacked Venezuela and captured its President, Nicolás Maduro. This was not a covert mission nor a UN-sanctioned operation, but a unilateral strike by a superpower. The event, which drew sharp criticism within the UN Security Council, underscores a dangerous erosion of the principles that have historically governed relations between sovereign nations.
A Pattern of Coercion and the Silence of Emerging Powers
Almost in parallel, former US President Donald Trump claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was keen to keep him happy, followed swiftly by threats of imposing new tariffs on India for its continued import of Russian oil. This sequence reveals a troubling pattern where economic pressure and diplomatic arm-twisting are becoming normalized tools of statecraft. The open violation of sovereignty in Venezuela, coupled with economic intimidation aimed at India, paints a picture of a world where might increasingly makes right.
In this volatile context, the muted or evasive responses from several emerging powers, including India, are a cause for deep concern. This silence signals a failure of the contemporary global order to uphold the fundamental equality of nations. It points to a system where fear and dependency can stifle the voices that should be championing a multipolar world based on law, not power.
The Roots of the Crisis: From Bipolar Balance to Neoliberal Domination
The current crisis finds its origins in the abrupt end of the Cold War balance. The post-World War II order, born from the defeat of Nazism and shaped by the enormous sacrifices of the Soviet Red Army, was built on ideals of sovereign equality and non-aggression. The United Nations, despite its flaws, emerged from this resolve. The Soviet Union acted as a check on Western expansion, while the Non-Aligned Movement led by India, Indonesia, Egypt, and Yugoslavia asserted the political agency of the post-colonial world.
The dissolution of the Soviet Union ushered in a unipolar moment that was harnessed to impose a neoliberal economic orthodoxy worldwide. Countries were pressured by institutions like the IMF and World Bank to dismantle public sectors, weaken labour laws, and open their economies to volatile capital flows. The promised prosperity gave way to persistent unemployment, stark inequality, and ecological damage. Yet, many major economies, including India, remain on this path, creating a dependency that compromises foreign policy autonomy and turns silence into a survival tactic.
The Imperative for Restructuring and Genuine Autonomy
The US intervention in Venezuela is, in many ways, a replay of the wars in Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan. The response to such fundamental attacks on sovereignty cannot be cosmetic. A profound restructuring of global institutions is required to reflect 21st-century realities. The UN Security Council must expand its permanent membership to include meaningful representation from India, Africa, and Latin America.
Equally vital is the strengthening of South-South cooperation in trade, technology, energy, and finance to create alternatives to coercive arrangements. For countries like India, a genuine commitment to a rules-based order requires rethinking foundational economic choices. Strategic autonomy cannot coexist with economic subservience. A nation grappling with domestic challenges of unemployment and inequality cannot project confidence on the world stage.
The choice facing humanity is stark: either reclaim the principles of sovereignty, self-determination, and collective security, or submit to a lawless order where power alone dictates right and wrong. For nations that once led the anti-colonial struggle, breaking the silence is no longer optional—it is a moral and strategic imperative.
