India defies Washington sanctions

Submitted by gjohnsit on Fri, 10/12/2018 - 1:43pm

It appears that India is falling out of Washington's sphere of influence.

India's decision to continue buying oil from Iran after November 4 and purchase the S-400 Triumf air defence system from Russia is "not helpful" and the US is reviewing it "very carefully", the State Department has said.

Trump did his usual game show, cliff-hanger statement about how he intends to respond.

India’s foreign ministry did not comment on Trump’s remark, made while interacting with reporters in the White House on Wednesday when asked about the $4.5 billion India-Russia deal, when he said: “India is going to find out, aren’t they?”
“You’ll see,” Trump said in response to another question about the timing of his decision. “Sooner than you think,” he added without any mention on whether he would waive the sanctions as has been requested by India.

Indian companies are now actively working around U.S. sanctions by using roubles via foreign branches of Russian banks.

Meanwhile, India's oil imports from Iran actually increased 1% last month, after dropping 30% the month before.

All of this adds up to India thumbing their noses at Washington sanctions.
Now the U.S. could respond by sanctioning India, but you've got to ask yourself "do you want to sanction everyone?"
China, Russia, and Iran are already sanction targets. Turkey, Iraq, Vietnam and Pakistan have no intention of respecting our sanctions.
If we start sanctioning India too, then who is left as an ally in the continent of Asia (besides Japan, Israel and KSA)?

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Comments

Submitted by Timmethy2.0 on Fri, 10/12/2018 - 2:08pm

Can't we all get along?

Rodney King's question hasn't been answered.

—

Beware the bullshit factories.

Submitted by Centaurea on Sat, 10/13/2018 - 5:08am

@Timmethy2.0 The US doesn't want to

@Timmethy2.0 The US doesn't want to get along. It wants to be the boss. Or more accurately, it thinks it is the boss. Seems like the rest of the world may be finally getting tired of the "mean girl" act.

—

"Don't go back to sleep ... Don't go back to sleep ... Don't go back to sleep."
~Rumi

"If you want revolution, be it."
~Caitlin Johnstone

Submitted by thanatokephaloides on Sat, 10/13/2018 - 4:14pm

Sure it has!

@Timmethy2.0

Can't we all get along?

Rodney King's question hasn't been answered.

Sure it has! And the USA's answer is an emphatic NO!

—

"US govt/military = bad. Russian govt/military = bad. Any politician wanting power = bad. Anyone wielding power = bad." --Shahryar

"All power corrupts absolutely!" -- thanatokephaloides

Submitted by gjohnsit on Fri, 10/12/2018 - 2:24pm

Trump looks to weaponize finance

Swift banking

The Trump administration seems determined to cut Iran off from the global financial system. As it reimposes sanctions on the regime next month, it may take aim at the Swift messaging network that enables cross-border payments worldwide. This is a bad idea.
Europe has insisted on upholding the 2015 nuclear agreement with Iran, which the U.S. nullified in May. In doing so, it is resorting to increasingly outlandish steps to facilitate Iran’s commerce with the outside world. A furious Trump administration is now weighing whether to target Swift, which would prevent European companies from doing just about any business with Iran. It might require Swift (based in Belgium) to violate European law, which the network says it won’t do. Some Trump officials have even mused about fining its member banks or freezing the assets of its board members (two of whom are American).

Using Swift as an instrument of foreign policy isn’t just a new threat to U.S.-EU relations. Swift acts as a nervous system for global finance, sending billions of messages among more than 11,000 banks each year. Politicizing that crucial network while placing its overseers in legal jeopardy would be destabilizing. It could also accelerate efforts to create non-dollar alternatives to Swift — as China, Europe and Russia are all doing — further diminishing U.S. influence and harming American companies.

Submitted by Raggedy Ann on Fri, 10/12/2018 - 3:30pm

USA! USA! USA!

SANCTION INDIA!
SANCTION INDIA!
SANCTION INDIA!

SANCTION EVERYONE!
SANCTION EVERYONE!
SANCTION EVERYONE!

USA!
USA!
USA!

—

"The “jumpers” reminded us that one day we will all face only one choice and that is how we will die, not how we will live." Chris Hedges on 9/11

Submitted by QMS on Fri, 10/12/2018 - 3:37pm

How to teach the world a lesson

(not without consequence). Bully and sanction every sovereign nation until the dollar is rejected world wide. It is a greedy web US spins.

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question everything

Submitted by divineorder on Fri, 10/12/2018 - 7:13pm

Surely the balloon is almost out of air on this, just bluster.

Trump by leaving the nuclear deal and sanctioning Iran is now no more at war with Iran but with Iran and France, Germany, UK, Russia, China, EU. US is forced, to maintain credibility, to sanction France, Germany, UK, Russia, China, EU and add Japan, South Korea, India. pic.twitter.com/c1ptGly47W

— Dan Popescu (@PopescuCo) October 6, 2018

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A truth of the nuclear age/climate change: we can no longer have endless war and survive on this planet. Oh sh*t.

Submitted by Pluto's Republic on Fri, 10/12/2018 - 9:10pm

I never really contemplated the impact

...of a Republican regime on the speed of disintegration of the US Empire. It would have taken much longer with the Democrats at the helm.

Of course, the effect of a common enemy, global warming, will naturally draw all nations together.

However, the Anglo faction seems to be exiting the world — the British pulling out of Europe and the US pulling out of the UN. According to Pew, most nations regard the Anglo cartel as a threat to the entire world. And, they are right. Who can we rely on?

Submitted by karl pearson on Fri, 10/12/2018 - 9:41pm

Brexit?

@Pluto's Republic I'm not so sure that the British will actually pull out of Europe. I'll believe it when I see it.

Submitted by Pluto's Republic on Sat, 10/13/2018 - 1:46am

Ha. Good point.

@karl pearson

But the EU seems anxious to usher them out.

Submitted by The Wizard on Sat, 10/13/2018 - 2:59am

Agreed

@Pluto's Republic
I felt that the US empire would make it to mid century, at least 2040. George W Bush hastened that by 15 years with the Iraq war, destabilization of the ME and torture. That would have gotten us to 2025 +/-. Trump is hastening this big time. By how much? I think that by 2020 it will be clear that the US is not on top, as projects around the world, independent of the US, will see many players joining, to stay relevant and for opportunities. I think that Presidential election will be amazing as the US deals with this transition.

I guess I'm somewhat surprised that the Obama administration made no attempt to reverse this trend, with the exception of the JPCOA with Iran (hmmm). The world expected that of him and even gave him the Nobel Peace Prize in anticipation. Was he overruled by the Deep State or was he basically defective as a leader? I think that it might be both. He had a mean authoritarian streak in his personality.

So fasten your seatbelt, we are in for a hell of a bumpy ride downhill with Trump. He's abrogating treaties at will, sanctioning everyone, insulting everyone. Look at the faces of those protesting the Kavanaugh nomination. That will soon be the faces of the world community. I hope historians are taking notes, I hope investigative reporters are getting the real story of what is happening. So much damage in so little time. This is epoch!

—

Capitalism has always been the rule of the people by the oligarchs. You only have two choices, eliminate them or restrict their power.

Submitted by MrWebster on Sun, 10/14/2018 - 6:27pm

So sorta strange. Internal politics or kick backs??

I know India is one of Hillary's favorite places as they seem to venerate her. In one speech she ensured that American jobs would flow to India given some of the anti-sourcing rhetoric of American politicans. Can Donald make all of this outsourcing come crumbling down? Does the current Indian government think they are immune to Trump as American companies rely on them for the high tech labor force?

Obama in 2015 looked to have made an extensive set of aggreements with Modi that seemed to put India in the US camp.

I did not know this until now but India was the 2nd biggest customer of the US arms industry after Saudi Arabia.
https://nationalinterest.org/feature/how-obama-revived-us-indian-relatio...

Maybe Trump refused to sell India advanced hardware, so Modi went to Putin for the missile defense systems. And maybe got personal kickbacks.

It seems with many of the sanctions, Trump is basically making allies take a hit for his foreign policy decisions.