Sanctions

US Sanctions On Afghanistan Could Be Deadlier Than 20 Years Of War

February 5, 2022 Mark Weisbrot, The Sacramento Bee. Educate! Afghanistan, Food Insecurity, Sanctions, US Imperialism

Economic sanctions have, in recent years, become one of the most important tools of U.S. foreign policy. There are currently more than 20 countries subjected to various sanctions from the U.S. government. But if more Americans knew how many innocent civilians actually die as a result of these sanctions, would the worst of them be permitted? We may be about to find out in Afghanistan. Sanctions currently imposed on the country are on track to take the lives of more civilians in the coming year than have been killed by 20 years of warfare. There’s no hiding it any more. Projections through the winter estimate that 22.8 million people will face “high levels of acute food insecurity.”

Iran’s Economy Reveals Power And Limits Of US Sanctions

February 3, 2022 Maziar Motamedi, Al Jazeera. Educate! Finance and the Economy, Iran, Sanctions, US Imperialism

Tehran, Iran – As economists, politicians, and pundits mull the threat of “swift and severe” United States economic sanctions against Russia should the latter invade Ukraine, one country that has long been in Washington’s crosshairs does not have to ponder what such punitive measures can do – Iran. Some 655 Iranian entities and individuals were sanctioned under the administration of former US President Barack Obama, according to data compiled by the Center for a New American Security (CNAS). But the most brutal punishment kicked off in 2018, after former US President Donald Trump’s administration unilaterally withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal with world powers and Iran’s banks were cut off from the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication – SWIFT, the global financial messaging system.

Russia And China Hatch Sanctions-Busting Plan To Limit Use Of Dollar

February 3, 2022 Layla Guest, RT. Educate! China, De-dollarization, Russia, Sanctions

Amid a worsening stand-off between East and West, Russia and China are increasingly contemplating using their own currencies in mutual settlements and finding ways to work together to counter sanctions, Moscow’s envoy in Beijing has disclosed. Speaking as part of an appearance on YouTube channel Soloviev Live on Wednesday, Andrey Denisov weighed in on the impact of embargoes imposed by Western nations on ties between the two nations. “The fact that these sanctions have a negative impact on some aspects of our relations is indeed true,” he said, pointing at the impact on financial settlements. “If penalties are imposed on one of our banks, it is quite difficult for Chinese recipients of our products to pay us, although they have the money and the desire to do so.”

Biden Covertly Continues US Forever War Against The Afghan People

January 19, 2022 Zachary Scott, Covert Action Magazine. Educate! Afghanistan, Joe Biden, Sanctions, US Imperialism

Contrary to the narrative of U.S. politicians and journalists, the August 2021 withdrawal of U.S. and NATO forces from Afghanistan did not mark the end of the United States’ so-called “forever war” but rather a shift in U.S. policy—from direct military intervention and occupation to one based on economic sanctions and indirect political subversion. Although the tactics changed, the goal is the same: the accumulation of wealth and power through class warfare against the Afghan people. Just days after Kabul fell to the Taliban on August 15th, Washington took measures to turn off the flow of funds to the new government and paralyze the Afghan banking system. The Treasury Department quickly issued a freeze order on nearly $9.5 billion of the Afghan Central Bank’s assets held in U.S. financial institutions, including the New York Federal Reserve Bank.

Iran Official Proposes Formation Of Countries’ Union Against Sanctions

January 17, 2022 IRNA. Create! Foreign Relations, Iran, Nicaragua, Sanctions, US Imperialism

All, with consolidation, should stand against the US sanctions and plots, Rezaei said in a meeting with Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega, according to the IRNA Saturday report. In his remarks, Rezaei said that the Iranian nation and government pay special respect to Nicaragua's resistance against excessive demands. He went on to stress that the resistant countries should make further efforts to expand their relations and friendship because the bullying powers, particularly the United States, are after preventing nations' development and cooperation. Further, he noted that the Islamic Republic of Iran has stood by Nicaragua and is ready to strengthen ties with it. For his part, the Nicaraguan president thanked Rezaei for attending his swearing-in ceremony and appreciated the strong spirit of the Islamic Republic against the enemies' pressures.

‘Smoking Gun’ Analysis: US Sanctions Produce ‘War Time’ Economy

January 16, 2022 Anya Parampil, The Grayzone. Resistance Report Finance and the Economy, Sanctions, US Imperialism, Venezuela

Red Lines Host Anya Parampil Speaks With Francisco R. Rodríguez, The Executive Of Oil For Venezuela, About A Study He Recently Published Which Analyzed The Impact Of US Sanctions On Venezuela’s Economy. Rodríguez shares data which prove sanctions have directly contributed to a major economic contraction in Venezuela, driven mainly by a significant drop in the country’s oil production as a result of the measures. Rodríguez also addresses common arguments made by individuals who seek to obscure the impact US sanctions have had on Venezuela’s economy. Read the study: https://sanctionsandsecurity.org/publications/sanctions-economic-statecraft-and-venezuelas-crisis/

15,000 Pounds Of Powdered Milk Delivered To Cuba

January 16, 2022 Medea Benjamin, People's Forum. Resist! Cuba, Economic Blockade, Food and Agriculture, Sanctions

On January 15, 2022, the organizations Puentes de Amor, The People’s Forum and CODEPINK are sending a cargo plane loaded with 15,000 pounds of powdered milk from Miami to Cuba. Representatives of the organizations are traveling to Cuba with the shipment. The aid will be received by the Martin Luther King Center in Havana. It will be distributed to pediatric hospitals in Havana. Since the pandemic and the disruption of food supplies it has caused, there has been a shortage of powdered milk in Cuba, which is normally given out by the state—for free—to children, pregnant women, the elderly and people with medical needs. Due to the reluctance of U.S. companies and banks to deal with Cuba for fear of running afoul of U.S. sanctions, Cuba buys imported milk—at an inflated cost—from places as far as New Zealand and Uruguay.

Nicaragua In The Multipolar World

January 14, 2022 Margaret Kimberley, Black Agenda Report. Educate! European Union (EU), Nicaragua, Sanctions, US Imperialism

The United States and the European Union announced new sanctions on the day that Daniel Ortega was inaugurated as president of Nicaragua. The move was not surprising, given that the United States congress passed the RENACER Act one week before elections which were held on November 7. The people of Nicaragua have acted in defiance of the United States ever since the 1979 revolution. First, Ronald Reagan used reactionary forces, the Contras, as proxies in an attempt to destroy the new government. The Reagan administration mined Nicaragua’s harbors and fomented a war which cost an estimated 30,000 lives. The United States still owes Nicaragua $17 billion in compensation for the damage it created decades ago.

Hundreds Of Reconstruction Projects Carried Out In Syria In 2021

January 5, 2022 Syria Times, Orinoco Tribune. Educate! Sanctions, Syria, US Imperialism, Wars and Militarism

The year 2021 has witnessed the implementation of hundreds of reconstruction projects in several sectors in Syria despite the challenges and obstacles that face the process, mainly the acute economic crisis the country is going through besides the western sanctions imposed on the people of Syria. These projects were mentioned in the annual report released on Thursday by the Ministry of Local Administration. The report said: “The ministry carried out 1262 rehabilitation projects and it now supervises the rehabilitation of 17 hospitals, 37 health centers and 19 cultural centers.” It added that 6502 houses, 109 hospitals and health centers, 20 bakeries, 406 shops, 10 public buildings, 21 citizen service centers, 19 cultural centers and 19 stations, which were destroyed by terrorism, were rehabilitated within the framework of humanitarian response plan.

Eighth Round Of JCPOA Revival Talks Begin

December 28, 2021 Morgan Artyukhina, Sputnik News. Educate! Iran, Iran Nuclear Deal, JCPOA, Sanctions

"Today all parties have agreed to come back to activate the eighth round of negotiations even in (the) Christmas and New Year's holiday. This in itself fully shows a greater sense of urgency on the part of all parties concerned," Wang Qun, China’s ambassador to the United Nations institutions headquartered in Vienna, Austria, which includes the International Atomic Energy Association (IAEA) nuclear watchdog, told reporters on Monday. China is just one of several parties to the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) deal, who also include Russia, France, Germany, the UK, the European Union, the US, and Iran. However, since Tehran refuses direct negotiations with Washington, which is responsible for shredding the deal in 2018, the deal’s other parties have headed up the talks.

Iran Threatens Sanctions Against US Over Treatment Of Black Americans

December 13, 2021 Adam Lucente, Al-Monitor. Resist! Black America, Iran, Sanctions, Systemic Racism

The Iranian government vowed today to impose sanctions on the United States over racial and policing issues. Secretary-General of Iran's Human Rights Office Kazem Gharibabadi said the Islamic Republic will publish a list of American entities and individuals involved in human rights abuses. They will then be subject to sanctions from Iran, the official Islamic Republic News Agency reported. Gharibabadi did not offer specifics on what the sanctions will entail, but said the move relates to policing issues in the United States, particularly in regard to Black Americans. “Human rights experts confirmed that police brutality in the US against people of color especially, African-Americans, should be considered systemic racism,” he said.

Statement On Zimbabwe Solidarity Day

October 25, 2021 A-APRP. Resist! Africa, Sanctions, Zimbabwe

The All-African People’s Revolutionary Party (A-APRP) stand with Zimbabwe and the countries of the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) on this October 25th “SADC Anti-Sanctions Solidarity Day” we commemorate the call for lifting the illegal and immoral imperialist sanctions against the Zimbabwe people. The A-APRP applauds this principled stance by the SADC members. We further call for all justice loving people to join this fight. Zimbabwe’s struggle against sanctions is part of a continental and global fight against sanctions. The A-APRP reiterates our stance that sanctions are acts of war. They bring undo pain and suffering to the people of Zimbabwe.

Allow Humanitarian Aid To Reach Venezuela

September 30, 2021 Progressive International. Resist! Health Care, Portugal, Sanctions, Venezuela

We are writing to you to urge Novo Banco to execute the transfer of a modest portion of the now technically unfrozen assets belonging to Bandes, the Venezuelan economic and social development bank, so they may be transferred directly to the Brazil-based Pan-American Health Organisation to pay for vaccines and medicines for infants in Venezuela. Bandes informed us that they submitted this request to Novo Banco on 22nd July and have yet to receive a response. At this point in time there is no legal or extralegal obstacle that would preclude a Portuguese bank from making a transfer of Bandes’ own funds in Brazilian reales directly to a Brazilian bank account in order to pay for humanitarian supplies for children. Nearly 2 billion USD (in various currencies but a large amount in euros) have been withheld by Novo Banco illegally since late 2017.

Tensions Rise At Third Round Of Stalled Government-Opposition Negotiations

September 28, 2021 Paul Dobson, Venezuelanalysis. Educate! Mexico, Peace Negotiations, Sanctions, Venezuela

Mérida – The Venezuelan government and US-backed opposition held a third round of talks in Mexico City over the weekend amid increasing friction. The weekend negotiations followed “fruitful” encounters in August and early September. Following previous sessions, the two parties signed a Memorandum of Understanding, opposition politician Freddy Guevara was released from prison, a number of hardliners signed up to participate in the upcoming November 21 elections and US $5.1 billion was transferred to the country’s international reserves by the International Monetary Fund. The talks bring together representatives of the Nicolás Maduro government and Juan Guaidó bloc under the banner of the self-styled Unitary Platform. More moderate opposition sectors and leftwing opponents were not invited.

New Phase Of Economic Attacks And Hybrid War On Nicaragua

September 25, 2021 Ben Norton, The Grayzone. Educate! Nicaragua, RENACER Act, Sanctions, US Imperialism

The US Congress Invited Neoconservative Regime-Change Strategists To Discuss The Next Stage Of Hybrid Warfare On Nicaragua’s Sandinista Government, Which Will Likely Involve Creating An Economic Blockade, Refusing To Recognize The Legitimacy Of President Daniel Ortega, And Borrowing Tactics The Trump Administration Used In Its Coup Attempt In Venezuela.

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