The rules governing international behaviour lie in tatters following a decisive military operation ordered by former US President Donald Trump. The abduction and detention of Venezuela's president marks a dangerous new precedent, one that experts warn licenses global lawlessness.
A World Turned Pear-Shaped
Trump's tactical success in Venezuela has come at the catastrophic expense of the international rule-based system. This act of raw power, according to analysts, effectively grants permission for other major powers to follow suit. Russia has already demonstrated such behaviour, and China may now feel tempted to act similarly in its own sphere of influence.
This development spells particularly bad news for Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, and the members of ASEAN. For Australia, the erosion of global norms represents a direct strategic threat. In Europe, the Trump administration's repeated threats regarding Greenland have severely rattled NATO allies, compounding uncertainty worldwide.
Australia's Untapped Power and Proven Legacy
Despite often downplaying its role, Australia possesses considerable national power and agency. Ranked as the world's 14th largest economy, its economic weight is commensurate with Russia's. The nation has a long and notable history of 'constructive internationalism,' a term championed by Foreign Minister Penny Wong.
This legacy dates back to the Chifley government and Dr H.V. Evatt, who played a central role in negotiating the UN Charter after the horrors of the Second World War. Later, Percy Spender secured the ANZUS Treaty and established the Colombo Plan. In 1986, Australia instigated the formation of the Cairns Group to champion fair agricultural trade, and helped shape the G20 in response to the Asian financial crisis.
A Call to Saddle Up: Leadership in a Lawless Era
In the realm of security, Australia has repeatedly proven its capacity for leadership. It helped create and lead the UN Transitional Authority in Cambodia in the early 1990s, played a major role in East Timor, and was crucial to restoring peace in Bougainville and the Solomon Islands.
The current crisis demands that Australia 'saddle up' once more. It is insufficient to simply accept the Thucydidean mantra that 'the strong do what they can and the weak endure what they must.' The architects of the UN system understood that the strong benefit from rules and stability just as much as the weak.
This is where Australian and American interests still align. The task is not to walk away from the US, but to vigorously pursue a common interest in rebuilding the legal foundations of global peace, prosperity, and security. Re-establishing these rules is the fundamental purpose of responsible government in the modern age.
