U.S.’ abuse of sanctions inflicts sufferings on citizens of foreign countries

On March 10, Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, said in internal e-mails that it would allow its users to publish posts using violent language directed towards Russians on the two platforms during the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Reuters reported.

With the U.S. government having already set an example by abusing sanctions, the bullying actions of U.S. social media platforms – arbitrarily imposing sanctions and instigating confrontations under the guise of “democracy” and “human rights” – is not something that is new.

For a long time, the U.S., relying on its dominant position in the global financial system and its technological advantages, has abused long-arm jurisdiction over other countries and exercised “coercive diplomacy” with them.

The U.S. has hurled sanctions at whoever disagrees with it. The use of sanctions by the Americans has increased tenfold over the past 20 years. The previous U.S. administration instituted more than 3,900 sanctions, which equates to wielding the stick of sanctions three times per day on average. By the end of fiscal year 2021, the U.S. had imposed sanctions on 9,421 entities and individuals, up 933 percent from 2000.

Washington has "become addicted to sanctions" like a 5-year-old child who "is addicted to candy," an article published on the Newsweek of the U.S. pointed out.

Is the world a better place because of those sanctions imposed by the U.S.? Will European security be better guaranteed thanks to the U.S. sanctions on Russia? As a matter of fact, the abuse of sanctions by the Americans has not helped solve existing problems, but instead has created new problems.

The illegal unilateral sanctions and long-arm jurisdiction imposed by the U.S. have violated international law and the basic norms that govern international relations. The U.S. puts its national laws above international laws, having issued domestic laws such as the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act, and the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act.

The ambiguous rules contained in these acts and executive orders, such as the “minimum contacts principle” and “effects doctrine,” are in fact a willful expansion of the jurisdiction of U.S. domestic laws.

These acts and executive orders make it possible for the U.S. to abuse its domestic channels to pursue prosecutions of and exercise “long-arm jurisdiction” over entities and individuals in other countries, constituting a gross violation of international law and the basic norms of international relations.

Since 2011, the U.S. has imposed more than 100 sanctions on Russia. The U.S. administration, in collaboration with its European allies, has ramped up containment and suppression against Russia, imposing blanket sanctions against Russia, and launching a diplomatic war through the expulsion of Russian diplomats.

With regards to issues such as the Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline project, the U.S. has not hesitated to sanction concerned parties, including even its European allies. The U.S.-led response to Russia has been hysterical in the Western world, with even the cats, dogs, and trees of Russia having become targets of sanctions.

Has the Ukraine issue resolved itself thanks to the U.S. sanctions on Russia? The answer is clearly “no” as far as we know.

The ratcheting up of unilateral sanctions, as imposed by some countries in the West, including the U.S., have caused severe difficulties for relevant countries’ economy and their people’s livelihoods, while disturbing the operations of the global economy and global industry chains.

As the Russia-Ukraine conflict continues to escalate, Western countries have shifted their focus on sanctions against Russia from the domain of finance to the domain of oil, resulting in drastic oil price fluctuations and pushing international oil prices to reach their highest level in 14 years.

In 2018, the U.S. government announced its unilateral withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), and soon after resumed and expanded sanctions against Iran. The sanctions regime struck a heavy blow to Iran’s economy, with the Iranian government even being unable to import enough medical products. As a result of the U.S.-imposed sanctions, the Iranian people, especially those from lower-income groups, have led a more difficult life, and their rights to life and health have been greatly threatened.

Over the past more than 60 years, the U.S., by ignoring resolutions passed by the United Nations General Assembly, has imposed a systematic trade embargo, economic blockade, and financial sanctions against Cuba.

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez said that the U.S. chose to continue imposing the embargo and sanctions against Cuba even in the face of the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic, causing huge losses to the Cuban economy and society, while the Cuban people meanwhile have had to suffer from the harm caused by this extremely inhumane act.

As a self-claimed “beacon of human rights,” the U.S. in fact never shed light on itself, a bigtime violator of human rights. The U.S. is a culprit of the Afghan crisis. It occupied Afghanistan for 20 years and then retreated back home after leaving the Afghan people in disarray. Some 22.8 million Afghans now face acute food insecurity and 3.2 million children under the age of five are expected to suffer from malnutrition. Instead of compensating the Afghans, the U.S. arbitrarily froze their assets and imposed unilateral sanctions against Afghanistan, furthering aggravating the humanitarian crisis in the country.

Facts have proven that sanctions are never fundamentally an effective means to solve problems, and regional hotspot issues should be resolved through dialogue and consultation. War and sanctions are not the only options.

As Alice Weidel, leader of the Alternative for Germany in the Bundestag, said in public remarks, sanctions will not be able to end the war in Ukraine. All parties should not pour fuel onto the fire, but should instead help solve regional conflicts as soon as possible through dialogue and negotiation, so as to gradually build a balanced, effective and sustainable global and regional security architecture.