Gaza, Venezuela and Greenland mark end of world legal order set up in 1945

The American invasion of Venezuela — along with fresh threats to annex Greenland — is seen by many commentators as marking the collapse of the international legal order, based on rules enshrined in the United Nations Charter of 1945. The events in Venezuela suggest that this system, with its emphasis on sovereignty and fundamental rights, has been replaced by one more like the pre-Second World War system, when nations could go to war for almost any reason. Jorge Sanchez-Perez says it’s time to accept this reality if we are to build a better international order next time. Jorge Sanchez-Perez is Assistant Professor in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Alberta.