Australia faces credibility test after Trump threatsGrace CrivellaroAAPTue, 6 January 2026 12:33AM
Australia’s credibility as a defender of international law is under renewed scrutiny after its closest security partner forcibly captured the Venezuelan president and threatened similar action against Colombia.
US President Donald Trump is eyeing Venezuela’s substantial oil reserves after American forces seized President Nicolas Maduro during a large-scale military strike.
The strike’s legality has been questioned by international law experts and followed months of escalating military tension.
“It certainly appears to be an armed intervention, which would be unlawful under article 24 of the UN Charter,” international humanitarian law expert Associate Professor Amanda Alexander told AAP.
“All members have to refrain in international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state, which certainly seems to have happened here.”
Mr Trump repeatedly accused Mr Maduro of operating a “narco-terrorist” regime under a corrupt and illegitimate dictatorship.
He told reporters the US could launch a second strike on Venezuela if its government does not co-operate.
For now, Australia is monitoring the situation, with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese urging all parties to support diplomacy to prevent an escalation.
“We continue to support international law and a peaceful, democratic transition in Venezuela that reflects the will of the Venezuelan people,” he said.
Political science and international relations expert Juan Zahir Naranjo Caceres said the attack highlighted the risks Australia faced when its closest security partner acted outside widely accepted interpretations of international law.
“That behaviour will be associated – fairly or not – with US-centred security architectures such as AUKUS,” Mr Caceres said.
Mr Caceres said the operation could complicate Australia’s efforts to position itself as a defender of international law.
“Canberra relies on the language of a rules-based order to criticise coercive behaviour in its own region,” he said.
“So any perception that Australia quietly accepts or excuses legally dubious actions by the US directly undercuts that narrative in Southeast Asia and the Pacific.
“China is a very, very important player in the region as well, and is openly criticising what’s happening in Venezuela, therefore that could be a big impact for Australia.”
Mr Trump has threatened to take over Greenland for defence purposes.
He also threatened military action against Colombia’s government, telling reporters that such an operation “sounds good to me”.
“(Mr Trump’s) threats towards Colombia show a very broad willingness to question sovereignty norms,” Mr Caceres said.
“Australia should be concerned because if unilateral attacks like this and transactional talk about territory disputes become normalised as tools of great power, it becomes much harder for Australia to credibly oppose similar behaviour by others.
“For example, we could hear news about China doing something in Taiwan, and then what would be the moral and legal authority of countries such as the US or allies like Australia to question that?”
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