A workshop at the International Center for Strategic Security and Military Studies: The New World Order After Venezuela and the Imperative of National Fortification

By Dr. Lida Oganisyan Department of Research, Strategic Studies and International Relations 16-01-2026

Presenting the intellectual workshop “The Post-Venezuelan World Order and the Imperative of National Resilience“

The International Center for Strategic Security and Military Studies in Tunisia organized an intellectual workshop on the new world order after Venezuela and how to fortify the internal national security of the world’s countries against Trump’s madness and his chorus who believe in the survival of the strongest and “legitimize” the policy of the jungle and the theft of countries’ resources.

Trump’s declaration of neo-colonialism stripped away the mask of “democracy, human rights, international legitimacy”… and other false slogans to bare his fangs and declare openly that he wants neo-colonialism and control over the world, and to project power through oppression and aggression. 

The intellectual workshop, held on Wednesday, January 14, 2026, starting at 2:00 PM Tunisian time, was entitled: The New World Order After Venezuela and the Imperative of National Fortification.

This was in the presence of a group of researchers and political and geopolitical specialists from most Arab countries such as Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, Mauritania, Jordan, Palestine, the Arab Republic of Egypt, Libya, Sudan and Iraq, as well as from the United States of America, the Russian Federation and the People’s Republic of China.

The meeting, held via the internet application, lasted for more than three hours, during which the experts discussed the most important current international issues, especially the rampant crime in the world.

Dr. Lida Oganisyan also participated and discussed in the workshop.  Dr Lida a Research Fellow at the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Science Amid long-standing discussions about the transformation of the world order, tensions are rising due to the increasing role of force in international relations.

Now we are witnessing the dominance of brute force and the rejection of diplomatic language that used to hide it. This is a natural sign of the weakening of international law, the crisis of international institutions and the world order.

In this regard, a number of questions arise. The main one is: how deep and large-scale is the phenomenon we are observing?

There can be several perspectives, let us highlight three main ones.

The first perspective is that the factor of force has always existed; military dominance has always been a part of international relations, and countries like the United States actively employ it.

Despite the unprecedented nature of recent US operation in Venezuela, it fits into the historical logic of American foreign policy and international relations in general. However, current events are also linked to the individual features of Donald Trump.

The second perspective is that this is a discreate phenomenon. What is important is that we are currently observing a deep process of world order transformation and a radical change in the balance of power. The importance of economic, technological, and information factors is growing. And the US uses not only military pressure. They actively initiate economic pressure through sanctions, secondary sanctions, and – very widely under Trump – tariffs. The US justifies these tools as a fight against terrorism, drug trafficking, and human rights violations. However, this is actually a way to regulate relations between states and shape the world order. It’s a tool for interference in the internal and external affairs of other states and a way to pressure them to change their behavior.

The information factor deserves special attention. The example of Venezuela clearly shows that the diaspora, rather than the local population, often supports external intervention. However, Western media and politicians create a narrative that presents the diaspora’s position as the will of the people, and aggressive actions as the protection of global interests. In many cases these narratives are used as a tool to justify their initiator’s actions.

The third perspective is that the transformation of the world order is profound. Questions arise not only about the balance of power, use of various tools, but about the meaning of sovereignty. Classical concepts of sovereignty cannot fully reflect current reality. Today, sovereignty is not only viewed in a territorial context, ensuring technological and digital sovereignty is becoming more and more important. And the Trump’s operation is a signal to the international community about the power of the US and that the sovereignty of other states is not an obstacle.

However, Russia and China, most developing countries continue to defend the concept of sovereignty and non-interference in the internal affairs of other states. This is done at the national level and within various organizations and informal groups, such as BRICS. Amid the crisis of global governance and international institutions, new mechanisms are being created, and ad hoc formats are emerging. The US actions are accelerating these processes.

To sum up, Trump’s actions were both impressive and terrifying. On the one hand, there is a “diplomacy of deals”, which means a business-like, transactional approach and rapid actions to get results. In fact, a huge amount of diplomatic, military and information work were carried by the US administration before the operation. And the National Security Strategy 2025, in which the Western Hemisphere was identified as a strategic priority, was part of it.

On the other hand, there is no clear strategy for the future. Meanwhile, such bold steps are quite destructive; they increase the risks of fragmentation and lead to the polarization of societies. And what else is important. In Venezuela, the internal political situation facilitated such an operation. In other countries, carrying out such an operation is unlikely.

Therefore, events surrounding Venezuela have become a serious challenge, forcing states to reconsider their national security strategies and ensure resilience. Increasing resilience of states and societies, i.e. their ability to reform and overcome internal and external crises, formulating and promoting its own way to resilience is a key factor for each state.