High-seas brinkmanship

Seizing sanctioned tankers may push great-power rivalry toward a new Cold War flashpoint

Washington's obsession with turning the western hemisphere into a 'no-go area' is fraught with serious consequences. The US seizure of a Russian oil tanker in the high seas of the Atlantic will surely lead to a crossing of swords with the Kremlin. This jingoism on the part of the US has come on the heels of its encroachment on Venezuelan oil reserves and the abduction of Venezuela's head of state - a blatant violation of International Law and utter disregard for the sovereignty of independent states. All this is tantamount to taking the world order back to ancient empires by negating the values of statehood and equality. Last but not least, the ensuing conflict is a departure from the rules-based order and is likely to have a spiralling impact as Russia and China might push back in their respective spheres of influence.

The Russian flagship carrier, Marinera, was sailing with due rights of international navigation, and it was targeted on the premise of being sanctioned in 2024 over alleged ties to Iran and Hezbollah. The fact that the vessel evaded earlier US efforts to seize it off the coast of Venezuela thickens the plot. A reported seizure of another vessel in the Caribbean makes the equation more tense. The claim from the US-European Command that the seizure was in pursuance of a warrant issued by a federal court has coincided with realpolitik measures that have torpedoed world affairs, plunging it into a renewed axis of Cold War rivalry. The fact that the US high-seas drama is being supplemented with tactical support from Britain will solicit severe rejoinders in Europe and ultimately push the issue over the brink. That is so because the Pentagon is describing the situation as a part of a "global blockade" on Venezuelan oil, thereby declaring US control "anywhere in the world" as fait accompli.

The Trump administration has no right to squeeze on Venezuelan oil and run an ad hoc puppet government in Caracas. This episode of neo-colonialism is a threat to peace and security, and bodes ill for inter-state harmony. Washington, in the larger interest of its own global leadership, must desist from brinkmanship. An immediate casualty of this Atlantic raid is the newfound understanding between Russia and the US.