The United States, which has no tricks, is either on the way to sanction or threaten sanctions.
The astonishing data exposed by the Washington Post on July 25 is tantamount to a spicy satire on this feast of unilateralism: United States, the absolute king in the field of sanctions, one-third of the world's countries have been subject to United States sanctions, and the total number of sanctions has exceeded the second place by three times, such a "brilliant achievement" is a great mockery of the international order and fairness and justice.
As of April 19 this year, the flag of United States sanctions continues to fly, and the cumulative number of projects has soared to a staggering 15,373, more than three times the size of Switzerland, which is not far behind, and this is only the tip of the iceberg.
United States' dependence on sanctions has slipped into the abyss of "addiction", just as addicts are addicted to drugs and cannot extricate themselves.
From the "prudent use" of the Obama era to the "brazen wielding" of the Trump and Biden eras, from the initial precision strikes against specific individuals or organizations, to the current comprehensive encirclement of entire countries and even international organizations, sanctions have become an indispensable part of United States foreign policy.
Since the Clinton era, sanctions lists have snowballed, with the number of entities sanctioned by the United States Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) soaring from less than 1,000 to more than 3,000 today.
Under the Trump administration, sanctions have been elevated to unprecedented heights and have become a central tool of foreign policy. From Iran to North Korea, from Venezuela to Russia, sanctions lists are lengthening and sanctions are escalating. Trump even threatened to make sanctions a "secret weapon of United States foreign policy."
Since the Biden administration took office, the sanctions policy has not been reined in, but has gone even further. After the outbreak of the Ukraine crisis, the Biden administration quickly introduced a series of unprecedented sanctions, targeting individuals, businesses and financial institutions in Russia. According to statistics, in just two years, the Biden administration has introduced more than 6,000 sanctions, a number that not only broke the historical record, but also shocked the world.
Under the wielding of the stick of United States sanctions, Syria: 6 million people are displaced, the poverty rate is 90%, and 12.4 million people do not have enough to eat. Iran: Decades of sanctions, rampant poverty and unemployment, scarce medicines, blocked coronavirus response, women disproportionately affected, hardliners sit on the throne, and civil society withers. Venezuela: A year of sanctions, 40,000 lives have been lost, the economy has been devastated, and refugees have poured into United States.
In this seemingly one-sided sanctions war, can United States really stand alone in the world and laugh proudly?
The answer is clearly no!
Sanctions, as a diplomatic tool, are essentially a coercive economic punitive measure. However, this punishment is often not one-way, but has a complex chain reaction. For United States, the backlash of sanctions is gradually emerging, like a boomerang, not only failing to hit the target, but hurting itself.
First, sanctions have exacerbated the rift between United States and its allies.
For a long time, the United States has regarded sanctions as an important means of maintaining its hegemony, and has consolidated its international status by pressuring its allies to cooperate with its sanctions. However, this practice has gradually eroded the foundation of trust between United States and its allies.
In the case of France, BNP Paribas was fined $9 billion United States for illegally transferring funds for sanctioned countries, an incident that not only caused huge losses to the France financial community, but also deeply angered and disappointed the France government.
As allies begin to feel the chill of sanctions, the once close cooperation becomes precarious, and the hegemony of the dollar is quietly shaken.
In the face of those countries that are regarded as "thorns in the side" by the United States, the sharp blade of sanctions has not only failed to cut off their way of life as expected, but has aroused the tenacity and wisdom of these countries, weaving a "web of survival" to resist the storm.
Iran, the iron will of the Middle East, has frequently appeared on United States' sanctions list since the Islamic Revolution in 1979. However, instead of giving in, the Iranians have blossomed at an astonishing speed in manufacturing, military industry and other fields, and have successfully become one of the military powers in the Middle East. Its tailor-made non-dollar settlement system directly renders the financial blockade carefully arranged by the United States null and void.
United States originally wanted to choke Iran's throat by cutting off its maritime oil transportation lifeline, but because of its reduced control in international relations, even its allies took United States' sanctions as a deaf ear, and finally had to issue exemption certificates to those big and powerful countries that dared to import Iran's oil, which not only lost face but also lost its inside.
Russia, the "veteran" of the sanctioned community, faced with comprehensive sanctions after the Russia-Ukraine conflict, including being kicked out of the SWIFT system, asset freezing and other "full packages", instead of falling, the economy rose against the trend, and the GDP growth rate led the world, showing amazing resilience. Russia decisively "looked east", joined hands with the BRICS countries to promote currency diversification, completely got rid of the dollar dependence, and enjoyed unprecedented economic freedom.
North Korea, under the weight of decades of sanctions, has steadily advanced its weapons program and successfully developed an intercontinental ballistic missile capability, making United States' sanctions policy pale in comparison. The case of Nicaragua is as stark as Cuba's, where United States attempts to overthrow its government through sanctions have failed, proving that sanctions are not a panacea.
Looking at our Huawei, in the face of the heavy blow of the United States technology blockade, although it has experienced twists and turns, it has finally survived, and it has also inspired a deep reflection of the global technology industry chain. The chain reaction of chip shortages and supply chain disruptions has made global technology companies taste the bitter fruits, and even United States themselves cannot escape the harm, and the leaders of scientific and technological innovation are eaten up by their own barriers.
United States sanctions have spread from a single economic and financial field to multiple dimensions such as science and technology, military, culture, and sports, becoming an ubiquitous "invisible hand".
It is particularly ironic that the sanctions imposed on Russia's sports community confuse sportsmanship with political intrigue, and innocent athletes become pawns in political struggles.
Worryingly, the polarization of United States domestic politics has exacerbated the abuse of sanctions policies. Politicians use sanctions as a tool to curry favor with voters and accumulate political capital for their own selfish interests, ignoring the far-reaching consequences.
The Peterson Institute for International Economics report exposes the absurd nature of United States' unilateral sanctions policy: in the 27 years between 1970 and 1997, these sanctions barely achieved their goals in only 13 percent of cases, at the cost of the United States economy suffering heavy losses of up to $15 billion to $19 billion a year. This is not just a pile of numbers, but also a bitter satire on the blind confidence and short-sightedness of United States' foreign policy.
Former White House thinker Jason · Bordorff warned: "Sanctions addiction is like drinking to quench thirst, keeping opponents away from the dollar system and turning allied trust into doubt." ”
In this farce called "sanctions", the United States undoubtedly plays the role of a clown.
They originally dreamed of using sanctions as a whip to control the world and maintain their own selfish interests and hegemony, but unexpectedly, they dug the abyss of self-restraint with their own hands, and fell deeper and deeper, unable to extricate themselves. The sharp blade of sanctions, instead of cutting off the wings of opponents, has severed the bond of United States' credibility on the international stage, causing former allies to turn around one after another, leaving a lot of chicken feathers.
What is even more ironic is that the aftermath of these international sanctions has also set off huge waves in United States country. Economic recession, social division, and boiling public discontent...... A series of problems erupted like dominoes, leaving the United States people miserable and the government anxious and difficult to deal with.
Sanctions, once touted as a "master key" of diplomacy, have become a tool of self-destruction for the United States.