January 10, 2026 | 11:01 am
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - US President Donald Trump disregards international law by stating that only his 'own morality' can restrain the aggressive policies he has been pursuing worldwide, following the abduction of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
"I don’t need international law. I’m not looking to hurt people," Trump told The New York Times on Thursday as reported by Al Jazeera.
When asked if he needs to comply with international law, Trump admitted he does, but said it depends on "what your definition of international law is."
Trump has shown willingness to use US military force to achieve his foreign policy goals. Last Saturday, the US launched early-morning raids on Venezuela, with explosions reported throughout the capital Caracas and at Venezuelan military bases.
US forces ultimately abducted Venezuelan President Maduro from Caracas in what critics say is a clear violation of the United Nations Charter, which prohibits "the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state."
The attack on Venezuela appears to have heightened the aggressive stance of the US president, who received the FIFA Peace Prize Award last month.
Shortly after the attack, Trump stated the US would "run" Venezuela and exploit the country's massive oil reserves, despite his administration saying it will work with interim President Delcy Rodriguez.
However, the Trump administration said it would "dictate" policy to the interim government and repeatedly threatened a "second wave" of military action if US demands are not met.
“If she doesn’t do what’s right, she is going to pay a very big price, probably bigger than Maduro,” Trump said about Rodriguez in an interview on Sunday with The Atlantic.
Trump's Dismissal Means Danger
Earlier this week, Trump also hinted at possible attacks on left-wing Colombian President Gustavo Petro and escalated his campaign to acquire Greenland, which is part of Denmark.
In June, Trump joined an unjustified Israeli war against Iran, ordering bombings on three of the country's main nuclear sites.
Trump's aide, Stephen Miller, criticized the post-World War II international order, saying that from now on, the US will "unapologetically" use its military power to secure its interests in the Western Hemisphere.
We’re a superpower, and under President Trump, we are going to conduct ourselves as a superpower," Miller told CNN on Monday.
However, experts warn that disregard for international law could have disastrous consequences for the global community, including the US.
International law is a set of rules and norms that govern relations between states. This includes UN conventions and multilateral agreements.
Margaret Satterthwaite, UN Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers, told Al Jazeera earlier this week that the US statements disregarding international law are "extremely dangerous."
“International law cannot stop states from doing terrible things if they’re committed to doing them,” Satterthwaite told Al Jazeera.
“But I think we’re worse off if we don’t insist on the international law that does exist. We’ll simply be going down a much worse kind of slippery slope.”
Yusra Suedi, an assistant professor of international law at the University of Manchester, UK, cautioned against the belief that "might is right" and the trend to disregard international law.
“It signals something very dangerous, in that it gives permission to other states to essentially follow suit—states such as China, who might be eyeing Taiwan, or Russia with respect to Ukraine,” Suedi told Al Jazeera.
Read: Trump Says US Will Take Greenland the "Easy Way or Hard Way"
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