Inside Geneva Special: A Bonfire of International Law

Date: January 13, 2026
Host: Imogen Foulkes (A)
Guests:

• Chris Lockyer – Secretary General, Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders; B)
• Nick Cumming-Bruce – Contributor, New York Times (D)
• Dorian Burkhalter – SWI swissinfo.ch (C)

Overview

This special edition of Inside Geneva addresses a dramatic start to 2026, examining recent global upheavals that have shaken the aid and international law communities. The episode focuses on three major events:

1. Israel’s ban on dozens of international humanitarian organizations in Gaza and its wider implications.
2. The sharp shift in US humanitarian funding under President Trump and the controversial “reform” of UN aid mechanisms.
3. The US-led removal of Venezuelan President Maduro, raising urgent concerns about the breakdown of international legal norms.

The discussion is urgent and sobering in tone, reflecting growing anxiety across Geneva’s diplomatic, humanitarian, and human rights communities about a retreat from principles that underpinned the post-World War II order.

1. Israel’s Ban on Aid Agencies in Gaza

[05:04 – 13:40]

Key Points & Insights

• Ban Announcement & Scope

  • Israel suspended 37 international NGOs from Gaza, including Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) and Oxfam, citing alleged failure to meet “security and transparency standards.”
  • Agencies face a 60-day deadline to cease operations.
    Quote:
    “We got a letter… Effectively we had 60 days to wrap up our operations in Gaza and Palestine more broadly.” — Chris Lockyer [05:04]

• Humanitarian Impact

  • MSF supports 1 in 5 Gaza hospitals; 1 in 3 babies in Gaza are delivered with MSF aid.
  • Humanitarian services include maternity, pediatric, surgical, and water supply; in late November, MSF delivered 14 million litres of water in three weeks.
  • Consequences: 60% of Gaza’s hospitals depend on international NGO support; the NGO ban would be devastating. Quote:
    “There’s 60% of Gaza’s hospitals run with or with the support of international NGOs. So it is a huge, huge impact...” — Chris Lockyer [05:56]

• Israeli Justifications & NGO Concerns

  • Israel demands detailed staff lists from aid agencies.
  • Agencies refuse, citing safety and privacy of staff, especially as over 500 humanitarian workers have been killed in the conflict—most from UNRWA.
    • Quote:
      “There have been over 500 aid workers killed... several accusations towards our staff and in none of these cases has any evidence being put forward to us.” — Chris Lockyer [10:16]
    • NGOs lack accountability mechanisms for staff deaths and are wary of handing sensitive data to Israeli authorities.

• Unpredictable Aid Access

  • Supplies, even basic medical items, remain unpredictable, especially dual-use goods.
  • “Unpredictability” is central to humanitarian access challenges, compounding both needs and operational insecurity.

Memorable Moments & Quotes

• “People being killed by Israeli forces very frequently now despite the ceasefire...” — Chris Lockyer [06:56]
• “The unpredictability of supply, but also as we're now seeing, the unpredictability of our registration and our legitimacy to be in Gaza…” — Chris Lockyer [13:22]

2. US Humanitarian Aid Shifts & “Reforms”

[14:31 – 22:37]

Key Points & Insights

• US Funding Cutbacks

  • The Trump administration pledged $2 billion to UN humanitarian efforts for 2026—a sharp reduction from $11 billion in 2024 and $3+ billion in 2025.
    • Quote:
      “In 2024... US was funding about 40% of OCHA’s appeals… about 11 billion... then last year… a little over 3 billion, and now 2 billion.” — Dorian Burkhalter [15:36]

• Strings Attached and Ideological Shifts

  • The new funding is conditional, focused on “overhaul” and “reform” of UN processes, with an emphasis on aligning with US foreign policy.
  • President Trump’s appointee, Jeremy Lewin (28 and never worked in the sector), told aid leaders: “Adapt or die.” — Jeremy Lewin, quoted [19:16]

• UN Response and Concerns

  • Some UN officials, starved for funds, expressed public gratitude, but underlying anxiety mounts about loss of impartiality and operational independence.
    • Quote:
      “There was talk about the radical ideologies perpetrated by some of the UN agencies which had undermined American interests and peace…” — Nick Cumming-Bruce [16:17]
  • Aid money will be divvied up through memorandums of understanding (yet to be written) and distributed by country-resident coordinators—a potential recipe for fragmentation.

• Geopolitical Prioritization

  • The US aid list excludes major crisis countries (Afghanistan, Yemen) but includes Central American states (El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras), reflecting US domestic interests.
  • Aid to groups supporting women, children, and LGBTQ communities likely at risk if not in sync with US foreign policy priorities.

Notable Quotes

• “Aid has to be allocated to the people who are most vulnerable…when we talk about neutral, impartial provision of humanitarian assistance.” — Chris Lockyer [21:24]
• “The US is clearly the most consequential actor in this, but there are many other governments who have done the same. And so the impact is very real and we can see it.” — Chris Lockyer [19:30]
• “The list of 17 countries…includes Central American countries that are not at the top of anybody’s humanitarian crisis list…It conspicuously left out...Afghanistan…none for Yemen. So, yeah, that list...reflects very much some American priorities.” — Nick Cumming-Bruce [22:09]

3. The Venezuela Operation & the Crisis of International Law

[23:27 – 30:59]

Key Points & Insights

• US-led Removal of Maduro

  • US forces extracted Venezuela’s president and his wife for trial in New York, characterizing the action as a “law enforcement operation,” not an invasion.
    • Quote:
      “He was arrested on the ground in Venezuela by FBI agents, read his rights and removed from the country.” — Nick Cumming-Bruce [24:02]

• Breakdown of Legal Norms

  • The operation is a blatant violation of the UN Charter and principles of sovereignty—condemned by the UN Human Rights Office and, notably, only a handful of European states.
    • The US justifies this via renewed “Monroe Doctrine”-style rhetoric.
    • Quote:
      “What we are seeing...an administration that doesn’t acknowledge any accountability to anyone except itself.” — Nick Cumming-Bruce [25:07]

• Global Ramifications

  • European responses have been muted (except for Spain). The precedent undermines the entire system of international law, making it harder to object to similar actions by Russia (in Ukraine) or hypothetical moves by China (in Taiwan).
    • Quote:
      “The spokeswoman’s comment that everybody is less safe as a result of this is the bottom line. It kind of green lights the operations that people like Vladimir Putin have undertaken…” — Nick Cumming-Bruce [27:32]
  • US administration’s disregard for constitutional checks and international law extends risk to democracy at home and abroad.

• Humanitarian Perspective

  • There’s deep concern that the legal rupture will devastate already-suffering populations—eight million Venezuelans have fled for refuge, mostly to Colombia.

• Personal Testimony

  • Chris Lockyer shares a moving message from a Venezuelan friend, highlighting the gap between high politics and lived experience:
    • Quote:
      “We never wanted this. Not this way. We wanted to do it our way, like we always have. But we will take it and keep going. Because this is not over. Not until we can dance in our streets instead of yours. This is our journey. No one else’s. We all know it. Everyone except those who know nothing about the place where I come from.” — quoted by Chris Lockyer [29:40]

Closing Reflections

• The consensus: we are at a “bonfire of international law.” Basic tenets of impartial humanitarianism and globally accepted legal norms are buckling.
• The panel is sober but not without hope, emphasizing the need for greater accountability from both governments and international institutions, and for support for the world’s most vulnerable outside the calculations of powerful capitals.

Last Word:
“…there is an intersection of international norms and an individual’s raw emotion. I don’t think it comes clearer than that.” — Chris Lockyer [30:52]

Host’s Summary:
“At the moment we are all less safe than the last time we sat in this studio. Let’s hope that 2026 can only go upwards from now on.” — Imogen Foulkes [30:59]

Key Timestamps

• Israel NGO Ban discussion: [05:04 – 13:40]
• US Humanitarian Reform & Cuts: [14:31 – 22:37]
• Venezuela Operation & Legal Meltdown: [23:27 – 30:59]

Tone:
Measured, deeply concerned, at times reflective. Speakers balance expert analysis with lived, frontline perspectives.

For Listeners Who Missed The Episode:
This is a must-listen for anyone anxious about the state of the international order, humanitarianism, and the future for people living amidst crisis. The guests bring lived experience, expert analysis, and hard questions to a moment when international norms appear near breaking point.