3.1 – The state and globalisation
3.4 – Power and developments
3.6 – Comparative theories
The U.S. seizure of The Skipper, a Panama-flagged oil tanker, on 10 December 2025 has become a flashpoint in debates about the erosion of international norms. US Navy and Coast Guard units boarded the vessel by helicopter off Venezuela’s coast, claiming it carried sanctioned crude oil linked to illicit networks and terrorism financing in the Middle East. President Trump even suggested the USA could keep the oil. Venezuela condemned the act as “piracy” and a violation of sovereignty, arguing the operation breached long-standing norms governing freedom of navigation and respect for state control over natural resources.
Critics see the episode as emblematic of a wider breakdown in the rules-based order, where powerful states increasingly use unilateral hard power rather than multilateral legal processes to achieve their goals; some argue that the US’ ultimate goal is regime change in Caracas. By contrast, Trump’s supporters frame the seizure as defending international norms, asserting that enforcing sanctions, disrupting illegal trade, and projecting strength are necessary to maintain global security, reflecting a realist view that order is sustained through power rather than law.