Expert weighs in on U.S. move in Venezuela and its impact on Africa

U.S. airstrikes in Venezuela and the forcible seizure of President Nicolas Maduro raise serious legal and regional concerns, according to Professor Christopher Isike.

Speaking to CGTN, Isike, who is the President of the African Association of Political Science and a professor of African Politics and International Relations at the University of Pretoria, said the United States justified its actions on counter-drug and anti-crime grounds, but, the operation ultimately falls outside established international legal frameworks governing the use of force.

According to the professor, the move raises sovereignty concerns and appears to bypass both international law and U.S. domestic legal requirements, including congressional authorization. He added that such unilateral military action risks destabilizing the already fragile political balance in Latin America by undermining trust among neighboring states and triggering diplomatic backlash.

"However, when one considers the responsibility to protect doctrine and the relief that this will bring for majority of Venezuelans, including its over 10 million the diaspora, there can be a case that U.S. and sympathizers to these kinds of intervention can make. But the normative question remains how do you resolve an illegality with another illegality?" he questioned. 

Isike added that the operation also carries implications beyond the region, noting that African states with tense relations with Washington may view the move as a sign of a more assertive and personalized U.S. foreign policy with a lower tolerance for adversarial governments.

Such actions, he added, could reshape international norms on sovereignty and influence perceptions of future U.S. military engagement in Africa and elsewhere.