1. United States
2. Ohio
3. Letter

I am writing to urge you to publicly oppose the Trump administration's threats to use military force against sovereign nations, including Venezuela, Greenland, Mexico, Colombia, and Cuba. Secretary of State Marco Rubio's recent statement that every president retains the option to address perceived threats through military means anywhere in the world represents a dangerous departure from international law and American values. The United Nations Charter, which the United States has signed, permits military force against sovereign nations only in narrow circumstances: self-defense against imminent attack or when approved by the UN Security Council. The administration's illegal military operation in Venezuela over the weekend violated these principles. The attempted justification that drug trafficking constitutes an imminent threat fails on two counts: Venezuela is not a major player in the global drug trade, and drug trafficking has never been considered equivalent to armed attack under international law. The White House declared acquiring Greenland a national security priority and stated that using the US military is always an option to annex this Danish territory of over 300 years. Rubio could not identify what threat Greenland poses to the US. Trump's claim that the island is covered with Russian and Chinese ships is false. International law expert Edmarverson A. Santos explains that international law does not recognize title obtained through unlawful force, and the prohibition extends to serious threats of force coupled with political or military pressure. Professor André Nollkaemper of the University of Amsterdam warned that Trump's belligerence toward Europe resulted directly from European leaders' meek response to the Venezuela attack. The long term impact depends on how other states respond. Congress must respond decisively. I urge you to introduce or support legislation that explicitly prohibits funding for military operations against nations that pose no imminent threat to the United States and to use every available tool to constrain this administration's illegal military adventurism.