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Sanctions

The Wondersome Effects Of Weapon Sales And Sanctions

In a world where everything is interconnected - economics, industrial production and global political competition - it becomes exceedingly difficult to use foreign policy instruments like weapon sales to proxies or sanctions. There will nearly always be some unforeseen backlash coming in an unexpected area that will hurt. The European sanction policies against Russia may be the prime example for this. But hostile U.S. policies towards China may, over time, cause much more damage. Not to China but the U.S. and its desired policy aims themselves.

Russian Media Demands $20,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 From Google

Russian news broadcasters are owed an unbelievable sum from US tech giant Google over their loss of access to YouTube, RBK news outlet reported, citing sources with knowledge of the matter. According to the report, the total amount Google owes the 17 Russian broadcasters has reached $20.6 decillion as of October 28. The staggering figure stems from a host of lawsuits filed against Google, in which a number of Russian news channels accused it of unlawfully blocking their content on the video hosting platform. In October 2022, the Moscow Arbitration Court ordered Google to restore YouTube access to the blocked Russian channels.

US And Israel Oppose Entire World In UN Vote To End Cuba Blockade

For the 32nd consecutive year, the entire world voted at the UN General Assembly to demand an end to the illegal US embargo against Cuba. The United States and Israel opposed the international community in a vote of 187 to 2, on the resolution titled “Necessity of ending the economic, commercial and financial embargo imposed by the United States of America against Cuba”. Just one country abstained: Moldova, a former Soviet republic that now has a pro-Western government that is seeking to join the European Union and NATO. Ukraine did not vote. In 2023, Kiev had abstained.

SADC Calls For ‘Unconditional Lifting’ Of ‘Illegal’ US Sanctions On Zimbabwe

The Southern African Development Community (SADC) has condemned the US-imposed unilateral sanctions on Zimbabwe as “illegal” and a violation of the “basic human rights of ordinary Zimbabweans”. It has also once again called for their “immediate and unconditional removal.” The regional intergovernmental organization with 16 member states has been observing every October 25 as the SADC Anti-Sanctions Day, after the date was thus designated by the heads of the SADC states at its 39th Summit in August 2019. “These sanctions have not only affected the people of Zimbabwe and their Government, but the entire region.

As Cubans Face Blackouts, US Activists Organize Material Solidarity

As the Cuban people continue to struggle under sweeping blackouts and a hurricane that has resulted in six deaths, the US continues its stranglehold on the socialist state in the form of drastic sanctions. US-based organizations, which include the New York City-based People’s Forum, the Party for Socialism and Liberation, and the Hatuey Project, have launched a donation campaign to get urgently needed humanitarian supplies, including food and generators, onto the island. These organizers also recently published an open letter in the New York Times, urging US President Biden to reverse devastating Trump-era sanctions on Cuba, including by removing Cuba off of the US’s “State Sponsors of Terrorism” list.

Solidarity With Samidoun And Khaled Barakat, Designated As ‘Terrorists’

Orinoco Tribune strongly condemns the designation of the Palestinian prisoner solidarity organization Samidoun as a “foreign terrorist entity” by the governments of the United States and Canada. Orinoco Tribune also condemns the branding of Palestinian activist Khaled Barakat, a Canadian citizen, as a “terrorist” by the US government and the imposition of targeted sanctions against him. Orinoco Tribune considers this designation to be a thinly veiled attempt to silence Palestinians and pro-Palestine voices and suppress the legitimate humanitarian efforts of Samidoun and other organizations working for the Palestinian people.

Why Does The US Still Control Every Penny Of Iraqi Oil Revenues?

In July, the Iraqi Central Bank halted all foreign transactions in Chinese Yuan, succumbing to intense pressure from the US Federal Reserve to do so. The shutdown followed a brief period during which Baghdad had allowed merchants to trade in Yuan, an initiative intended to mitigate excessive US restrictions on Iraq’s access to US dollars. While this Yuan-based trade excluded Iraq’s oil exports, which remained in US dollars, Washington viewed it as a threat to its financial dominance over the Persian Gulf state. But how has the US managed to exert such total control over Iraqi financial policies? The answer lies in 2003, with mechanisms established following the illegal US-led invasion of Iraq.

Biden’s UNGA Address On Democracy, Cooperation Contrasts With Reality

When US President Biden ended his final address to the UN General Assembly with “my fellow leaders, there is nothing that’s beyond our capacity if we work together,” it can be easy to forget that the United States is the number one obstacle to mutual cooperation around the world. Biden’s mention of the various conflicts and aggressions around the world—from Ukraine to Sudan to Gaza—of course made no mention of the US’s complicity in each of these conflicts. Biden calls for “a ceasefire and hostage deal” for Gaza in order to “bring the hostages home, secure security for Israel, and Gaza free of Hamas’ grip, ease the suffering in Gaza, and end this war.”

Nearly 600 Parliamentarians From 73 Countries Call On US To Take Cuba Off “State Sponsor Of Terrorism” List

People of conscience across the world continue to put pressure on the government of the United States to remove Cuba from the “State Sponsor of Terrorism” list. This time, a group of nearly 600 parliamentarians from 73 different countries penned a joint letter condemning the continued inclusion of Cuba on the list. The letter was coordinated and published by the Progressive International (PI) on February 20. The lawmakers are calling on their respective governments to “take immediate action to advocate for [the designation’s] removal.” Cuba was added to the US’s list of “State Sponsors of Terrorism” (SSoT) in 2021 by conservative President Donald Trump, but Biden, Trump’s more liberal successor, has thus far done nothing to remove this designation.

UN Overwhelmingly Votes To Sanction Israel, Impose Arms Embargo

The UN General Assembly voted on 18 September overwhelmingly in favor of ending Israel’s illegal occupation in the West Bank. The Palestinian-drafted resolution called on Israel to end “its unlawful presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory” within 12 months, including the presence of illegal settlements and hundreds of thousands of illegal settlers. The vote passed with 124 in favor and 43 abstentions. Washington and Tel Aviv voted against the resolution, along with 14 others. The resolution urged states to “take steps towards ceasing the importation of any products originating in the Israeli settlements, as well as the provision or transfer of arms, munitions and related equipment to Israel ... where there are reasonable grounds to suspect that they may be used in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.”

Is It Nicaragua That Is ‘Weaponizing’ Immigration? Or Is It Washington?

Claims that Nicaragua is “weaponizing” immigration by allowing free passage of migrants towards the U.S. border have been appearing regularly in the media over the last twelve months. The claim was made on NPR in January, in the Associated Press last October, in El Pais last November and by the BBC this July, to cite just a few. In May, the Biden administration accused the Nicaraguan government (the “Ortega-Murillo regime”) of “repressing people and preying on migrants,” imposing new sanctions on those it believed responsible. Is there any basis to these claims? Behind all such stories is Manuel Orozco of The Inter-American Dialogue, who has been accusing his former country of “weaponizing” immigration since at least early 2023.

Developing Countries Demand Withdrawal Of Sanctions By US, Allies

In the 57th session of the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) held in Geneva on Friday, September 13, China and several other developing countries from across the world denounced all forms of illegal unilateral coercive measures by the US and its allies, demanding their immediate and unconditional withdrawal. The interactive session was held to discuss the latest report submitted by Alena Douhan, the UN special rapporteur on the negative impact of unilateral coercive measures, to the UNHRC on September 9. Representatives from various countries agreed that these unilateral sanctions, as they are commonly referred to, violate basic principles of the UN charter by interfering in other countries’ internal matters and incapacitating governments in the developing world in carrying out basic developmental work.

US Imposes New Imperial Sanctions Against Venezuelan Officials

The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), belonging to the US Department of the Treasury, has imposed new set of unlawful sanctions against Venezuela. The new sanctions, announced by a US Treasury press release published this Thursday, September 12, target 16 officials from different public branches and the military for supporting the sovereign and democratic will of the Venezuelan people in the last presidential elections on July 28 and refusing to follow the latest US-led imperial coup plot aiming at ousting President Nicolás Maduro. According to the statement, the new sanctions against Venezuela include “key officials” involved in the presidential elections, which gave Nicolás Maduro the victory with more than 52% of the votes.

Legal Experts Push Biden To Drop ‘Punitive And Deadly’ Sanctions

As human rights defenders on August 12th marked the 75th anniversary of the Fourth Geneva Convention and its prohibition of collective punishment, hundreds of legal experts and groups urged the global community—and the United States government in particular—”to comply with international law by ending the use of broad, unilateral coercive measures that extensively harm civilian populations.” In a letter to U.S. President Joe Biden, the jurists and legal groups wrote that “75 years ago, in the aftermath of one of the most destructive conflicts in human history, nations of the world came together in Geneva, Switzerland, to establish clear legal limits on the treatment of noncombatants in times of war.”

US Seizes Venezuelan Jet Plane, Confirming Who Is The Rogue Nation

The Biden/Harris administration is renewing its attacks on Venezuela. On Monday, September 2, US officials seized a jet plane belonging to the Venezuelan government when it was in the Dominican Republic for servicing, then flew it to Florida. Contrary to a false report in the NY Times, the plane was not "owned by Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro". It is owned by the Venezuelan government and used for travel by various Venezuelan officials in addition to the president. The NYT article claims, "The Biden administration is trying to put more pressure on Mr. Maduro because of his attempts to undermine the results of the recent presidential election.

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Due to the attacks on our fiscal sponsor, we were unable to raise funds online for nearly two years.  As the bills pile up, your help is needed now to cover the monthly costs of operating Popular Resistance.

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