Nepal, Feb. 12 -- As long as some states are shielded from accountability while others are exposed to it, the legal order will struggle to command legitimacy

On 26 January, the UN Security Council convened a high-level open debate on "Reaffirming International Rule of Law." Chaired by Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and featuring briefings from Secretary General Antonio Guterres and former International Court of Justice (ICJ) judge Abdulqawi Yusuf, the session was Somalia's signature event during its return to the Council presidency after more than five decades.

The timing could hardly have been more fraught. Three weeks earlier, the United States launched Operation Absolute Resolve in Venezuela, capturing President Nicolas Madur...