UN speech by Jeffrey Sachs: The case of Venezuela and the creeping erosion of international law

The recent US military actions in relation to Venezuela have triggered an international debate that has so far been unusually muted - especially in Europe. Reports of attacks on Venezuelan territory and the abduction of President Nicol?s Maduro and his wife raise fundamental questions of international law.

The German government's silence to date is striking. There have been no official statements to date, and even major media outlets have been hesitant to address the legal assessment. This reticence underlines how sensitive and at the same time unclear the situation is.

The debate received additional attention following a speech by US economist Jeffrey Sachs to the United Nations Security Council. Sachs warned urgently of an increasing number of breaches of the law and a progressive erosion of the international security system. Especially in the nuclear age, it was dangerous to relativize the UN Charter's prohibition on the use of force through political exceptions or de facto practice. Every further precedent weakens the already fragile international order.

Background instead of headlines: Classify, don't outrage

Against this current background, M. Schall Verlag's online magazine has now published a detailed editorial entitled "Rules-based world order and international law: between claim, reality and breach of law".

The article does not take the current events as an occasion for short-term indignation, but for a fundamental classification. The aim of the article is to explain key concepts such as international law, the prohibition of the use of force and the rules-based world order in an understandable way and to trace their historical development.

The text is deliberately aimed at readers with no prior legal training. It demonstrates why many political debates are often at cross-purposes when legal terms are used indistinctly or replaced by moral narratives. It becomes clear that the question is not which political goals are being pursued, but rather according to which rules.

From contract law to political formula

One focus of the article is on the conceptual shift of recent decades. While international order was long based on clear treaties, UN resolutions and procedures, the term "rules-based world order" has increasingly become established.

The article shows why this term is problematic if it is not precisely underpinned by concrete legal bases.

After all, law depends on being comprehensible and binding. If rules are only invoked but no longer applied consistently, they lose their regulatory effect. The article shows how this development is gradually undermining trust between states.

Prohibition of force, exceptions and gray areas

A central chapter is devoted to the UN Charter's prohibition on the use of force. The article explains clearly why military force between states is fundamentally prohibited and what narrowly defined exceptions are provided for in international law. Historical and current examples are used to show how often these limits have been stretched or circumvented - including by Western states.

The text deliberately refrains from making sweeping judgments. Instead, it identifies the legal points of contention, explains gray areas and classifies the long-term consequences of such precedents.

Terminations, circumventions and dwindling trust

A further section analyzes the creeping erosion of international order through treaty terminations, overstepping mandates and flexible interpretations of existing rules. The article shows that international order rarely disintegrates through an open rupture, but mostly through a gradual loss of trust.

Smaller and weaker states in particular are dependent on reliable rules. If these are increasingly relativized, an imitation effect arises that destabilizes the entire system.

An open end instead of simple answers

The editorial deliberately ends without a classic conclusion. Instead, it poses a central question:

_Are we still living in a rules-based international order - or are we already in a transitional phase in which might is becoming increasingly more important than right?

This openness is part of the concept. The article is intended as an invitation to engage in debate and to clarify concepts - especially at a time when political buzzwords are often used more quickly than they are explained.

Full article available online

The article is now available online on M. Schall Verlag's online magazine and is aimed at readers who not only want to evaluate international politics, but also understand it.

Long-term background article with topical relevance

With a length of around 7,500 words, the article is designed as a long-term evergreen that will be updated again and again in the event of current developments - as is currently the case in Venezuela.

The text is supplemented by references to current media articles, including an interview with an international law expert on the role of the United Nations 80 years after the UN Charter came into force.

Frequently asked questions

* Why is this article dealing with international law and a rules-based world order at this particular time?
The reason is current international developments, in particular the military actions of the USA against Venezuela. These have brought the question of the UN Charter's ban on the use of force back into focus. However, the article uses this topicality only as an introduction to clarify more fundamentally how international rules work, how they have changed and why their application is increasingly controversial today.

* What distinguishes this article from current affairs reporting?
The article is deliberately designed as a background and evergreen text. It does not react impulsively to events, but classifies them historically, legally and conceptually. Instead of outrage or political positioning, the focus is on explanation: What is legally valid, what is claimed and where do contradictions arise between claim and reality?

* Why is the term "rules-based world order" viewed critically?
Because it is not a clearly defined legal concept, but a political formula. The article shows that this term is often used without specifying precisely which rules or sources of law it refers to. As a result, it can replace legal arguments instead of providing them.

* What role does the UN Charter's prohibition of the use of force play in the article?
The prohibition of the use of force is a central point of reference. The article explains clearly why military force between states is fundamentally prohibited and what few exceptions are provided for in international law. At the same time, it shows how often these limits have been stretched or circumvented in practice - including by Western states.

* Why does the article address the silence of the German government?
The lack of clear statements in Germany to date is categorized as part of the current debate. It shows how sensitive the assessment of events under international law is and that even states that frequently refer to international law apparently have difficulties in applying these standards consistently.

* What is the significance of Jeffrey Sachs' speech to the UN Security Council?
The speech adds weight to the debate. Jeffrey Sachs' arguments are not politically exaggerated, but structural. He warns that repeated breaches of the law will destabilize the international security system in the long term - especially in a world with nuclear weapons. His statements underline the fundamental significance of current developments.

* Is the article aimed at experts or the general public?
The article is expressly aimed at interested laypersons. It assumes no prior legal knowledge, but takes readers seriously and trusts them to deal with complex issues. Technical terms are explained and contexts are built up step by step.

* Why does the article end without a clear conclusion?
Because it is about understanding, not teaching. The text invites readers to take a stand themselves by laying the foundations and making contradictions visible. Especially when it comes to fundamental questions of international order, a hasty judgment would be less helpful than an open, reflective ending.

M. Schall Verlag
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Germany

https://markus-schall.com
Herr Markus Schall
info@schall-verlag.de

Schall-Verlag was founded in 2025 by Markus Schall - out of a desire to publish books that provide clarity, stimulate reflection and consciously avoid the hectic flow of the zeitgeist. The publishing house does not see itself as a mass marketplace, but as a curated platform for content with attitude, depth and substance.

The focus is on topics such as personal development, crisis management, social dynamics, technological transformation and critical thinking. All books are the result of genuine conviction, not market analysis - and are aimed at readers who are looking for guidance, insight and new perspectives.

The publishing house is deliberately designed to be compact, independent and with high standards in terms of language, content and design. Schall-Verlag is based in Oldenburg (Lower Saxony) and plans multilingual publications in German and English.

This release was published on openPR.