PRESS RELEASE
General Secretariat
Confederation of Humanitarian Nations (CNU)
International Law Cannot Be Applied at Convenience
In recent days, international debate has focused almost exclusively on the economic consequences of the new military escalation in the Middle East: rising oil prices, instability in energy markets, and concerns over the Strait of Hormuz.
Yet the real issue should be another.
Once again, we are witnessing a pattern that has repeated itself with alarming regularity over the past decades: international law is strongly invoked when it serves to justify a political position, and ignored when it becomes an obstacle to the strategic interests of States.
When this happens, the first victims are not institutions or geopolitical balances.
The first victims are always civilian populations.
Bombings, destruction of infrastructure, mass displacement, sudden humanitarian crises: while diplomatic circles debate security, deterrence, or regional balance, the human consequences of political decisions accumulate on the ground.
This is precisely where humanitarian organizations are forced to intervene.
When the weapons fall silent, or when media attention shifts elsewhere, it is humanitarian organizations that must collect the fragments: assisting displaced populations, providing medical support, helping communities rebuild, and defending fundamental human rights.
It is no coincidence that many humanitarian crises arise precisely in contexts where international law is interpreted selectively or subordinated to the logic of power.
The Confederation of Humanitarian Nations recalls that international law cannot be a negotiable principle.
It cannot apply only when convenient.
It cannot be invoked only when it serves to legitimize an action.
International law exists precisely to limit the arbitrary use of force and to protect human dignity when politics fails.
When this principle is emptied of its meaning, the result is not only geopolitical instability.
The result is humanitarian crises that last for years and affect entire generations.
The international community has a duty to bring back to the center of the debate not only the economic impact of conflicts, but above all the respect for the fundamental principles of international law and the protection of civilian populations.
Because no strategic, energy, or geopolitical interest can justify the systematic loss of innocent human lives.

Harry Tallarita
General Secretariat
Confederation of Humanitarian Nations (CNU)