KUALA LUMPUR and SYDNEY, 07/06 (IPS) – Food crises, economic stagnation and price increases are worsening disproportionately, almost everywhere, in the wake of the Ukraine war. Sanctions against Russia have particularly hurt those who depend on wheat and fertilizer imports.
Illegal unilateral sanctions
Unilateral sanctions – not approved by the UN Security Council – are illegal under international law. In addition to being contrary to the UN Charter, unilateral sanctions also cause many human losses. Countless civilians – many far from the target countries – are at risk, taking their lives so much, even.
Like besieging enemy settlements, sanctions are ‘weapon of mass famine‘. Surname “are silent killers. People die in their homes, no one cares“. The human cost is significant and varied, but largely ignored. Knowing that they are just collateral damage won’t delight any victim with the ‘real purpose’ of sanctions.
Victims of US sanctions
The US has imposed more sanctions, for a longer time, than any other country. During 1990-2005, the United States imposed a third sanctions regimes around the world. They afflict more than 1,000 entities or individuals annually between 2016-20 – nearly 80% more than 2008-15. As a result, the Trump administration raised US shares all sanctions down by almost half!
Tens of millions of Afghans are now facing food insecurity and even starvation because the US has seized $9.5 billion in central bank reserves. President Biden February 11, 2022 executive order give half of this money to the families of 9/11 victims, although no Afghans are responsible for the atrocities.
Biden claimed the rest would be for ‘humanitarian crises’, presumably to be decided by the White House. But he remained silent about the countless victims of the United States’ two-decade-old war in Afghanistan, where air strikes alone have killed at least 48,308 civilians.
The US’s 6-decade long trade embargo has caused the least damage to Cuba 130 billion US dollars. It causes a shortage dish, medicine and other essential items until today. Meanwhile, Washington continues to ignore Call of the United Nations General Assembly to lift its blockade.
The US-backed Israeli blockade of the densely populated Gaza Strip has caused at least 17 billion US dollars in damage. Besides denied access to the population of Gaza to many imported supplies – including medicine – bombing and repression made life miserable for the besieged.
Meanwhile, the US supports the Saudi-led coalition’s war on Yemen with the continued blockade of the poorest Arab country. The US arms sales to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have ensured the worst for the besieged Yemeni people.
The containment of essential items – including food, fuel and medical supplies – has intensified “The world’s worst ongoing humanitarian crisis“. Meanwhile, “the years of famine” – including “A Yemeni child starves to death every 75 seconds“- was aggravated by”Largest cholera outbreak in history“.
Humanitarian disaster and destruction of lives and livelihoods is considered inevitable “collateral damage”. Acknowledging the hundreds of thousands of Iraqi child deaths caused by US sanctions following the 1991 invasion, a former US Secretary of State considered the cost as “valuable“.
Poverty levels in countries subject to US sanctions are 3.8 percentage points higher, on average, compared with other comparable countries. Such negative effects increase over time, while unilateral and US sanctions stand out as the most effective!
Apparently, the US government did not hesitate to wage the war by other means. Its recent sanctions threaten the cost of living worldwide, reversing progress everywhere, especially for the most vulnerable.
However, unilateral US-led sanctions against Iran, Venezuela, North Korea and others failed to achieve their intended goals, namely to change the regime, or at least, the behavior of the regime.
Changing US policy?
Although unilateral sanctions have no effect under the United Nations Charter, many U.S. reformers want Washington.”lead by example, modifying US sanctions and ensuring that sanctions are targeted, proportionate, connected to distinct and reversible policy goals“.
Last year, the Biden administration began a comprehensive review of US sanctions policies. It has promised to minimize their adverse humanitarian effects, and even consider allowing trade – on humanitarian grounds – with heavily sanctioned countries. But actual policy change is still to be desired for now.
US sanctions continue to destroy the economy and livelihoods of millions of Iranians. Despite COVID-19 – which hit the country early – sanctions continue, restricting access to imported goods and resources, including medicines.
The US embargo has also blocked urgently needed humanitarian aid to North Korea. Similarly, actions by the United States have repeatedly prevented the urgent needs of millions of vulnerable people at home from being met.
The Trump administration’s sanctions on Venezuela have deepened the country’s massive income collapse, fueling food, health and economic crises. U.S. sanctions have targeted the country’s oil industry, which generates most of its export earnings.
Besides blocking Venezuela from accessing its funds at foreign banks and multilateral financial institutions, the US has also blocked access to international financial markets. And instead of targeting individuals, US sanctions punish the entire nation of Venezuela.
Russia’s Sputnik-V is the first COVID-19 vaccine developed and is among the most widely used in the world. Meanwhile, rich countries “”racist vaccine“And strict enforcement Intellectual property rights – increase company profits – limited access to ‘Western’ vaccines.
America did not forgive Sputnik-V from sanctions, disrupting not only shipments from Russia, but also production activities elsewhere, e.g. in India and south Koreaplan produce 100 million doses monthly. Refusing Russia to use the international payment system SWIFT make it hard let others buy them.
Review of sanctions
Economic sanctions – originally conceived a century ago to wage war by non-military means – are increasingly being used to force governments to comply. Sanctions are still described as nonviolent means to get ‘rogue’ countries to ‘behave’.
But this ignores its cruel paradox – supposedly avoiding war, siege sanctions, an ancient warfare technique. Yet, despite all the harm done, they often fail to achieve their intended political goals – as Nicholas Mulder documents in Economic Weapons: The Rise of Sanctions as an Instrument of Modern War.
Since Cuba, Iran, Afghanistan and Venezuela are not major exporters of food or fertilizers, their own people have suffered most of the sanctions against them. But Russia, Ukraine and even Belarus are major producers and exporters.
As a result, sanctions against Russia and Belarus have much broader international implications, especially for European fuel supplies. More ominously, they threaten food security not only now but also in the future when fertilizer supplies are cut off.
With growth muted since the 2008 global financial crisis, the West is currently stalling the economic recovery. Vaccine racism, intentional supply disruptions, and detection-reduction policies have disrupted the process of international economic integration, once promoted by the West.
As war increasingly overwhelms international diplomacy, commitments to the United Nations Charter, multilateralism, peace and sustainable development are being engulfed by the enemy, often leading to accusations. similarly misleading.
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© Inter Press Service (2022) – All rights reservedOrigin: Inter Press Service
