In January 2026, the United States conducted a military operation in Venezuela that resulted in the capture of President Nicolás Maduro, framing the action as a domestic law-enforcement arrest rather than a use of force. Volume XLIX staff editor Victoria Pedreiro examines whether that characterization is consistent with international law and argues that rebranding international military intervention as domestic law enforcement risks undermining the United Nations Charter's prohibition on the use of force.

Following a U.S. military operation in January 2026 that involved airstrikes across Venezuela and the capture of President Nicolás Maduro, questions arose regarding both the legality of the intervention and Maduro’s potential immunity in U.S. courts. Drawing parallels to the 1989 U.S. intervention in Panama against Manuel Noriega, and subsequent legal proceedings against him, this post examines whether Nicolas Maduro could successfully invoke diplomatic immunity.