US Sanctions Are Brutal and Inhumane. And They Don’t Work.

[basquebromance]

It’s hard to browse the news without seeing reports of yet another imposition of sanctions by one country on another. The United States has sanctions against more than 30 countries. Russia has repeatedly imposed sanctions against former Soviet republics. China has developed its own approach, including targeting private entities such as the NBA. And it’s not just major powers: Japan and South Korea have sanctioned each other over WWII and colonial legacies; Saudi Arabia against Qatar because of differences over Iran; and France, Germany, and Norway against Brazil over the Amazon forest and climate change.

US Sanctions Are Brutal and Inhumane. And They Don’t Work.

Sanctions are a form of collective punishment. Their costs are overwhelmingly borne by innocent people rather than governments. And they are just another form of war, not an alternative to it. The US’s many sanctions across the world need to end.

jacobin.com

 

[shockedcanadian]

Their effectiveness is debatable on a case by case basis but are they more inhumane than sending 300 fighter jets into battle?

 

[basquebromance]

Economic sanctions dominate the landscape of world politics today. First developed in the early 20th century as a way of exploiting the flows of globalization to defend liberal internationalism, their appeal is that they function as an alternative to war. This view, however, ignores the dark paradox at their core: designed to prevent war, economic sanctions are modeled on devastating techniques of warfare.

 

[ActionJackson]

Biden orders sanctions on separatist regions of Ukraine after Putin decree, EU vows additional measures​

Biden orders sanctions on separatist regions of Ukraine after Putin decree, EU vows additional measures

The White House responded to Russian President Vladimir Putin's decision to recognize the independence of two Ukrainian regions, levying a number of sanctions.

www.cnbc.com

Biden authorizes new sanctions on Sudan, says violence ‘must end’​

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/05/04/biden-sanctions-sudan/

U.S. announces new sanctions on Russia in response to Ukraine annexation​

U.S. announces new sanctions on Russia in response to Ukraine annexation

The sanctions on hundreds of Russian officials and firms highlight the cat and mouse game between Western governments and Russian military suppliers

www.cnbc.com

 

[whitehall]

Exactly what type of sanctions rise to the level of being brutal and inhumane?

 

[alang1216]

It’s hard to browse the news without seeing reports of yet another imposition of sanctions by one country on another. The United States has sanctions against more than 30 countries. Russia has repeatedly imposed sanctions against former Soviet republics. China has developed its own approach, including targeting private entities such as the NBA. And it’s not just major powers: Japan and South Korea have sanctioned each other over WWII and colonial legacies; Saudi Arabia against Qatar because of differences over Iran; and France, Germany, and Norway against Brazil over the Amazon forest and climate change.

What are the alternatives to sanctions on Russia for the invasion of Ukraine?

• Do nothing and if Ukraine falls, oh well
• Do nothing on the economic front but send military aid so there is more killing
• Send US troops to Ukraine so the killing can really happen big time

 

[basquebromance]

 

[elektra]

So what, if sanctions were nice, they would never work.

 

[Ringo]

The US has imposed sanctions against all russian gold miners. Now they will not be able to exchange gold for dollars!
But is that a bad thing? An ounce of gold cost $400 in 2003 and $2000 in 2023. You have to save gold. Gold is to be paid with. But under no circumstances should it be exchanged for U.S. paper.