Sick and Sadistic: World Fights COVID-19 Amid United States Sanctions by Finian Cunningham!
(2020-04-01 at 13:31:28 )

Sick and Sadistic: World Fights COVID-19 Amid United States Sanctions by Finian Cunningham!

Dozens of United States government-chartered flights have begun to airlift vital medical equipment and supplies from China to the United States as the latter becomes the worlds biggest case load of infections from the novel coronavirus. There are grim forecasts for the number of deaths in the United States as the pandemic is weeks from peaking there.

China is cooperating with the United States in organizing the massive medical transfer, naturally of course, given the humanitarian crisis.

You would think therefore that a little reciprocation would be in order from Washington,D.C. After all, China is one of those foreign countries that the United States has imposed sanctions on over alleged human rights violations.

Would it not behove the United States to show a bit of solidarity and gratitude by dropping its sanctions regime against China?

And not just China. There are are some 30 countries and territories that currently sit on a United States sanctions list, mostly due to Washington,D.C.s accusations of human rights violations. Some of the targeted nations have been under sanctions for decades, such as Cuba, North Korea and Iran. Others have joined the dubious club more recently, such as Russia, Yemen and Venezuela.

Surely at this unprecedented time of a global pandemic threatening millions of human beings regardless of nationality, it is time to show genuine solidarity and compassion for others. The very idea of imposing sanctions on other countries is not only anachronistic. It is utterly barbaric.

In any case, United States sanctions imposed unilaterally without the mandate of the United Nations Security Council are arguably illegal. Even before the coronavirus outbreak and its accompanying disease, Covid-19, the American deployment of embargoes to disrupt commerce and trade of other countries could be seen as reprehensible. Such measures are rightly judged to be collective punishment of civilians which violates international law and the United Nations Charter.

But now as countries battle against an existential threat posed by the virus, the existing United States sanctions can be seen as an abomination.

Iran is a particularly poignant case. It has one of the highest infection rates in the world with thousands of deaths in a matter of weeks. Yet the Donald Trump administration sees fit to not only maintain harsh sanctions on Tehran, it has actually added three more rounds of sanctions against Iran since the epidemic occurred. The deaths in Iran are being multiplied by United States of American policy.

The Donald Trump administration cynically claims that United States sanctions do not impede humanitarian aid to Iran. The claim is beneath contempt. The crippling sanctions imposed by Donald Trumps "maximum pressure" policy virtually precludes Iran from making international financial transactions, including for medicines. Moreover, the effect of "secondary sanctions" means that many countries are intimidated from doing business with Iran out of fear of United States reprisals.

Washington,D.C. has blood on its hands where any country is finding the fight against Covid-19 in any way more difficult. It already had blood on its hands from its illegal sanctions. But what we have now is the grotesque picture of a ghoulish, sadistic United States of American government shamelessly showing its ugly face at a time of global suffering.

At the G20 summit last week - held by teleconference to avoid spreading coronavirus infection - Russian President Vladimir Putin called on the world to drop sanctions at this critical juncture. He said it was imperative for all nations to have access to medicines and equipment without financial restrictions. "It is a question of whether people live or die," he added.

Mr. Putins call for discarding sanctions was backed by United Nations secretary-general Antonio Guterres and other world leaders, including Chinese President Xi Jinping.

In the end, however, the G20 final joint statement omitted any unanimous mention of sanctions.

One suspects that the United States - the worlds number-one serial abuser of sanctions - pulled strings behind the scenes to pre-empt any move to banish such measures of financial coercion.

Not surprisingly, because financial coercion (less politely, "terrorism") is an instrumental weapon for United States foreign policy, as much as its military intimidation of other nations is.

Instead, what came out of the G20 conference was a joint statement of vapid, disingenuous rhetoric.

It opined: "Global action, solidarity and international cooperation are more than ever necessary to address this pandemic. We are confident that, working closely together, we will overcome this. We will protect human life, restore global economic stability, and lay out solid foundations for strong, sustainable, balanced and inclusive growth."

Just how does "global solidarity" and "working closer together to protect human life" translate into practical remedial action when Washington,D.C. continues to wield a veto over some of the poorest and weakest nations gaining life-saving supplies?

If there were any compassion or morality in Washington,D.C., it would immediately rescind all its sanctions against other nations in recognition of common humanity.

But the hard-heartedness of Washington,D.C. is unrelenting even at a time of crisis and death. It is based on a self-righteousness that is frightening in the scale of its hubris and hypocrisy.

A certain natural "correction" is due for this endemic criminal mentality of the United States of Americas ruling class.

And one senses that the correction for its systematic evildoing against fellow human beings is not going to pass lightly.

Reprinted here from the "Strategic Culture Foundation" provides a platform for exclusive analysis, research and policy comment on Eurasian and global affairs. We are covering political, economic, social and security issues worldwide. Since 2005 our journal has published thousands of analytical briefs and commentaries with the unique perspective of independent contributors. SCF works to broaden and diversify expert discussion by focusing on hidden aspects of international politics and unconventional thinking. Benefiting from the expanding power of the Internet, we work to spread reliable information, critical thought and progressive ideas.