The US has been in the headlines for a while now and has been at the forefront of almost all global affairs. As it has been consolidating its hold, people have begun questioning its seemingly unlimited, untouchable power. Whether within the UN, through threats against the ICC, or in its actions concerning Venezuela, America’s position has raised concerns.
Recent developments have highlighted the expansive reach of superpowers within the international system. Initially, the world was dominated by two superpowers: the United States and Russia. Now, the US dominates the global order, appearing to wield more power than international organisations, constraining institutions meant to restrain power.
The United Nations is meant to ‘uphold international law’ and ‘maintain international peace and security’, among other tasks. However, we have seen in recent years how it has failed to do so. We have clearly seen how the P5 (veto powers) reduce the UN’s ability to carry out its tasks to the fullest. This clearly calls into question who holds the real power: the organisation that is meant to uphold peace, or a nation that believes it is untouchable?
‘The US is acting with impunity and believes its power matters more than international law’, the head of the UN told the BBC. Such remarks reflect that the UN is concerned with the growing American power. If an institution designed to uphold international law cannot restrain this nation, then a deeper question emerges: Is the United States above the law?
A recent example illustrates this tension between sovereignty and the US enforcement of power. The United States openly defied international laws by entering Venezuela and seizing its president and his wife. An article in Al Jazeera read, “There’s a very clear limit on enforcement jurisdiction internationally, and that is that one state cannot enforce its law on the territory of another state unless that state gives its consent,” said Margaret Satterthwaite, United Nations special rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers.
Furthermore, “So not only is the US extending enforcement jurisdiction without the consent of Venezuela, but the US is also grabbing up a high state official and saying we have the right to simply take this person out of their position and put them on trial in the US,” Satterthwaite told Al Jazeera. The issue is not only about territorial enforcement – it is also about accountability.
Venezuela is not the only instance where the US has tested the limits of international legal authority. It has also imposed sanctions on the ICC for investigating Israel. The International Criminal Court is meant to try individuals who have committed crimes against humanity and genocide. If an international body were created for this, then how can the US impose sanctions against it?
With its disregard of international organisations and international law, this opinion of conservative historian Robert Kagan seems to be on point: ‘The United States is now a hostile and potentially predatory nation.’
The same logic of power over law is increasingly visible domestically. The Trump administration has called democracy into question, with the crackdowns by ICE within the country, removing the rights of ‘freedom of speech.’
For a nation that previously invaded countries for ‘humanitarian reasons,’ they are now abusing their own citizens. Since 2026, ICE has killed 2 US citizens. There have also been multiple videos circulating on social media of their abuse of their own citizens. Below are some statistics of aggressions committed by ICE.
Historically, the United States has faced similar accusations of disregarding international law. The invasion of Iraq in 2003, under the guise of weapons of mass destruction, turned out to be unsubstantiated. In Nicaragua v. United States of America (1986), the International Court of Justice (ICJ) held that the US had violated international law; however, the US rejected the court’s jurisdiction.
These are just two examples of the many. The US has always gotten away with its actions, blatantly disregarding international law and democracy. Even its so-called interventions have been exposed as violating human rights.
The US has been disregarding international law for years; now, it is just being done on a wider scale and much more openly. The Trump administration has been facing a lot of backlash in the international community, with many in the country also unhappy with its policies. This article has highlighted only a few of the most visible controversies; many others continue to shape debates about American power. We must therefore question the power that the US seems to hold, and ask ourselves why and how is the US above the law?
Sources:
https://edition.cnn.com/2026/02/12/tv/video/amanpour-kagan-trump-world-order
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