Sanctions as War Weapon

Jonathan Burke

Muharram 21, 1440 2018-10-01

Letters To The Editor

by Jonathan Burke (Letters To The Editor, Crescent International Vol. 47, No. 8, Muharram, 1440)

In recent years, the US has intensified its sanctions war on countries that refuse to submit to its demands. Few countries have escaped its wrath. Countries under sanctions include Iran, Turkey, Syria, Russia, China, North Korea, Venezuela, Cuba, etc. In the past, Iraq was also subjected to sanctions where more than half a million babies were starved to death or died of preventable diseases because they could not get medication.

Cruel as these sanctions are because they target the most vulnerable in society, they also reflect US military failure. Despite a huge military budget exceeding $700 billion, the US is unable to defeat even small adversaries. Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria offer ready examples. The reason is that American soldiers lack the motivation to fight. They have realized that they are being used to advance the interests of oligarchs and banksters. Why should poor Americans die for the rich who are responsible for causing their poverty in the first place?

American sanctions are pushing countries to seek alternatives to the US dollar. Bilateral agreements and using local currencies are gaining ground. Ditching the US dollar altogether would neutralize one more weapon in the US arsenal.

Jonathan Burke
Seattle, WA, US