But I also had a second thought: is it that easy to capture the leader of a South American country? Venezuela did have significant defense capabilities, thanks to its alliance with Russia and to the permanent paranoia of the so-called Bolivarian regime. And yet, it only took four hours for American troops to locate and extract Nicolás Maduro.
Here, a short parable may be helpful. Imagine that somebody breaks into your house and threatens your family. Noticing that something is wrong, your next-door neighbor suddenly unlocks the front door, gun in hand, and subdues the criminal. You would certainly be thankful that the neighbor saved your family’s lives. But after the adrenaline fades, you will probably ask: how on earth does he have the key to my door? Maybe you will change the lock. Maybe you will install cameras. Perhaps you will buy a gun yourself.
I kept thinking of my country. Brazil is much larger and has a far better-prepared military than Venezuela. Also, unlike Caracas, Brasília is 600 miles from the coast. Still, in an era of modern warfare, this comfort is more psychological than tactical. The United States could certainly take our president away if it wanted to. What if Brazil ends up having a good president while the U.S. has a bad one? What if the U.S. president wants to get rid of the Brazilian president for illegitimate reasons? Other than themselves, to whom could Brazilians appeal if something like that happens?
The short answer is: nobody.
As most scholars of international relations agree, the international system is anarchic. By that, they don’t mean to say it is necessarily chaotic or unpredictable. In fact, land grabs such as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine are quite rare — surprisingly so. What I mean is that there is no overarching authority powerful enough to enforce international law.
If somebody litters, municipal authorities can fine them. If somebody steals a bicycle, the county sheriff can arrest them. If somebody speeds on the highway, the state patrol can pull them over. If somebody smuggles drugs across the border, the DEA can arrest them.
But if a government violates the rights of another, there is no world police, or mayor, or president (if you ever watched a superhero movie, you would probably agree with me that there shouldn’t be one).
The enforcement of international law relies mostly on mechanisms such as economic sanctions and diplomatic pressure. However, they are largely ineffective against the United States.
Precisely because of that, I should add a third reflection to the list: in a world with no global police, I certainly appreciate that America — not Russia or China — has the military and economic leadership. The most powerful country on earth is also the country with the longest-living Constitution, and the world’s most solid republic. If the Nazis or the Soviets had things their way, the international system would be much darker.
Especially after seeing what happened in Venezuela, I am also thankful for the American people.
I pray that American voters retain their discernment, stay vigilant, and vote for leaders who understand the role of prudence and will not abuse their military superiority to unfairly encroach on the sovereignty of democratic nations. Because if that ever happens, there is no one on earth who could come to the rescue.
Gabriel Castro is an international professor at Cedarville University.