This photo taken on Oct. 11, 2023 shows the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC, the United States. (Photo/Xinhua)
The economic sanctions that the United States likes to impose unilaterally on countries it does not consider friends have now reached such proportions that hundreds of lawyers from around the world have jointly signed a letter to President Joe Biden calling for an end to these sanctions.
The sanctions imposed by the US serve the political goal of oppressing the countries it sees as rivals, rather than promoting their supposed humanitarian value to civilians. The best example of this is the sanctions the US imposed on the Palestinian Authority after Hamas’ victory in the January 2006 parliamentary elections, on the grounds that Hamas had interests in the PA’s transactions. However, the US did not impose sanctions on Israel, even though Israel bombed and killed over 30,000 civilians in the recent conflict in the Gaza Strip.
Ironically, the US imposes sanctions at will, using its dollar hegemony and dominance in the Western world against countries it dislikes. It imposes such sanctions in the name of “liberating” the people there, but the people are ultimately the direct victims of the sanctions. The petition of lawyers from around the world now reflects the voice of the world. It is time for the US government to hear it.
