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  • bettyschwing@lemmygrad.mlEnglish
    23·
    2 days ago

    Indeed, the political and diplomatic usefulness of sanctions is declining. For a long time, one could argue that sanctions were, despite their imperfect record, at least a preferable alternative to open war. After the US attacks on Venezuela and Iran, this claim no longer seems convincing. Instead of averting military action, sanctions are now just as frequently paving the way to violent escalation. A world of persistent economic wars will, sooner or later, spiral into actual warfare

    This is the last paragraph of the article. The Author, Nicholas Mulder, has apparently written a book on the use of “sanctions as a tool of modern war”. They somehow failed to observe that sanctions are effectively siege warfare with a PR team.

    Dying quickly from a bomb being dropped on your house, or dying slowly because medicine you need is not brought into your country due to blockade is not really a compelling argument for sanctions.

    The author seems to be sad about sanctions losing their effectiveness purely because American boots might have to be on the ground and one of those brave boys might come home in a casket. Yearning for the good old days where collective punishment and suffering of the entire populace was an effective weapon.

    • Kalashnikov@lemmygrad.ml
      9·
      2 days ago

      When the Soviet Union fell, the US constituted 22 percent of the world GDP. American allies constituted, depending on who you ask, up to 80 percent of world GDP. Many crucial components, raw materials and services that the world needed could only be bought from the US.

      Today, the US is rapidly reaching single digit percentages of the world GDP. It is not even the largest economy anymore. Countries outside the US sphere of influence, (eg. China) now hold monopolies on crucial components and goods (electronics, certain minerals).

      Nobody has so far collectively exercised this power that they have garnered against US interests, and the US is still able to blockade and sanction countries at will with impunity (DPRK, Cuba, Iran, Russia etc.). But the foundation for this to eventually happen has been made, and the brickwork is being laid. At least with Russia, while China did comply with sanctions, they did not cut off trade as much as the US had hoped for, and the US’s ability to declare sanctions was demonstrably weakened as they seemed unwilling to impose harsher official sanctions on Russia.

    • Rogelio_Marciano@lemmygrad.ml
      6·
      2 days ago

      I have played tons of medieval games where sieges are strategically far sounder than assaults.

      Well, it had never occurred to me that eco war is the same but multiplied by modern technology. 😕

    • Lenin's Dumbbell @lemmygrad.ml
      7·
      2 days ago

      I truly hope when the American empire collapses, a complete embargo is placed on the US to break down any potential “American resistance” ideas. Break down the will of the fascists to such an extent that they can’t comprehend ever fighting again