Time for US to stop violating UN charter

Editor's note: Jeffrey D. Sachs, a professor at Columbia University, delivered a statement to the United Nations Security Council on Jan 5, 2026, regarding the situation in Venezuela. The US strikes on Venezuela and illegal "capture" of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife are endangering UN charter and world order. The original statement has been slightly edited for publication in China Daily. Excerpt from the statement follows:

The issue today is not the character of the government of Venezuela. The issue is whether any member state — by force, coercion, or economic strangulation — has the right to determine Venezuela's political future or to exercise control over its affairs.

This question goes directly to Article 2 (4) of the United Nations Charter, which prohibits the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state. The Security Council must decide whether that prohibition is to be upheld or abandoned. Abandoning it would carry consequences of the gravest kind.