Tomorrow, Wednesday 4 February at 10.30am, the
House of Lords International
Relations and Defence Committee will hear evidence on the
legality of US actions in Venezuela and their wider political and
legal implications.
The session will be available to watch live or on demand
at Parliament
TV or attend in person in Committee Room 4A,
Palace of Westminster.
Giving evidence will be:
-
Prof Michael Schmitt, Professor of
International Law, University of Reading; and
-
Prof Marc Weller, Programme Director,
International Law Programme, Chatham House and Chair of
International Law and International Constitutional Studies at
the University of Cambridge.
Questions will include:
- What were the legal justifications provided by the US
Administration for its actions in Venezuela, and are these
justifications compliant with international law?
- What are the implications of the US operations in Venezuela
for the rules-based international order? And what are its
implications for international compliance with the UN Charter
specifically?
- What, if any, is the international legal basis on which the
US can claim to be entitled to “run” Venezuela?
- How has the US approach to international law evolved over the
past decade? To what extent does President Trump's apparent
rejection of elements of the international legal order reflect a
continuation of an existing trajectory, and to what extent does
it signal a more lasting or structural shift in US policy?
- To what extent is the legitimacy and survival of
international law and the international rules-based system
dependent on US leadership and compliance?
