The United Kingdom has made a significant diplomatic move by restricting intelligence-sharing with the Pentagon concerning suspected drug-trafficking vessels in the Caribbean, marking a symbolic resistance to what critics describe as Donald Trump's imperialist revival.
Illegal Strikes Spark International Condemnation
This decision comes in response to repeated lethal US airstrikes on alleged smugglers off Venezuela's coast, which have been widely condemned as illegal extrajudicial killings. The attacks, occurring throughout August and November 2025, have drawn comparisons to murder under international law.
Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has publicly celebrated these operations, sharing footage of strikes on vessels he claimed were carrying narcotics. However, the UK government has reportedly objected to the methodology and legality of these actions.
Venezuela Regime Change Fears Mount
These maritime strikes appear to foreshadow direct US attacks on Venezuela itself. President Trump has made no secret of his desire to topple Nicolás Maduro's authoritarian regime, despite most Venezuelans opposing foreign-imposed regime change.
International law experts emphasise that regime change forcibly imposed by a foreign power violates international law unless authorised by the UN or undertaken in self-defence as a last resort. The US currently lacks a persuasive justification for war, despite Trump's characterisation of Maduro and Latin American cartel bosses as "narco-terrorists".
The administration's approach reflects a broader pattern of state lawlessness that has taken hold globally. From Vladimir Putin's actions in Ukraine to potential conflicts in the Middle East, the concept of a common rulebook for international relations appears to be collapsing.
Middle East Tensions and Global Implications
Meanwhile, the Middle East faces its own crisis of state lawlessness. Israel continues bombing southern Lebanon while record numbers of Jewish settler attacks target West Bank Palestinians, particularly focusing on food and water supplies.
The situation between Israel and Iran remains dangerously volatile. Despite Trump's claims in June that Iran's nuclear facilities had been "obliterated", both he and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have since threatened further strikes. Analysts suggest another Israeli onslaught appears inevitable given unallayed suspicions about Iran's nuclear capabilities.
This pattern of unprovoked aggression extends beyond immediate regional conflicts. Similar scenarios could unfold if China were to invade Taiwan, or if Russia invaded Moldova or even NATO member Estonia.
The ultimate expression of this state lawlessness manifests in an accelerating global nuclear weapons race, completely unconstrained by arms control treaties. Trump has resumed nuclear testing, with Putin following suit, while Xi Jinping flaunts China's atomic arsenal and Netanyahu conceals Israel's.
As these powerful nations abandon international norms and legal frameworks, the world edges closer to a catastrophic breakdown of the rules-based order that has maintained relative stability since the Second World War.
