Sanctions Tipping Point
Since Washington doesn't do diplomacy anymore, we only have two tools left: a) sanctions, and b) military force.
It appears that sanctions will soon be a tool of the past, which means that our violent foreign policy will become even more violent.
Take for example, Nord Stream 2.
Germany has been assured by the United States that any sanctions imposed on Russia will not affect the building of pipelines from Russia, a spokeswoman for Germany’s economy ministry said.
Nord Stream 2 will have a crippling economic effect on Ukraine, which will suddenly have no leverage in Europe's energy market.
Nord Stream II would run alongside the original Nord Stream pipeline and deliver an additional 55 billion cubic meters of gas, effectively doubling the project's capacity. The completion of this pipeline, and the launch of Turkstream, would strengthen the Kremlin’s stranglehold over Europe’s energy security and jeopardize the economic and physical security of Central and Eastern Europe – Ukraine most of all. Despite protests from the United States and a number of European countries, the political and economic momentum behind Nord Stream II may be too great to overcome.
Turkstream is another way that Russia is gaining independence despite our sanctions. Turkey, our NATO ally, is openly defying our sanctions as well.
The U.S. will take the unprecedented step of imposing sanctions on a NATO ally when Turkey receives a Russian missile defense system, according to a State Department official testifying before Congress.The delivery of the S-400s will impair military cooperation between the U.S. and Turkey and will damage relations between the countries more generally, Wess Mitchell, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, said Tuesday in testimony to the Senate.
Turkey is defying us in two different ways.
Turkey has said that it does not plan to honor a U.S. call for countries to stop importing oil from Iran, calling the demand "not binding" on Ankara.
"We will follow if there are decisions, sanctions by the United Nations on this issue. Other than this, we will only follow our own interests," Turkish Economy Minister Nihat Zeybekci said.
Washington on June 26 warned its allies that they must end Iranian oil imports by November 4 or they will face penalties under sanctions the United States is reimposing on Tehran.
I don't see how an alliance can survive if one side is imposing sanction on top of sanction.
Comments
But why do you suggest
our foreign policy will therefore become more violent, gjohnsit? Can't we grow up? Can't we do business in a peaceful fashion and save ourselves the 20's of trillions of dollars we are losing track of in "defense"?
I agree with gjohnsit and no one grows up
among your supposed allies. We have right now the most fubar drama queen spectacle going on in my home turf Germany and NO one is growing up, most grow old and stubborn to the point it ruins everything. There will be chaos and approaches to war-like tensions and people will go nuts over it.
Germany is going to be out of order. And that means war. And it is what some evil suckers want. So, live with what you so desire, is the only thing left to say from my pov.
Don't worry
the Red Wave will fix everything.
"The greatest shortcoming of the human race is our inability to understand the exponential function." -- Albert Bartlett
"A species that is hurtling toward extinction has no business promoting slow incremental change." -- Caitlin Johnstone
Could it be ?
Are the other nations of the world finally in a position where they can say,
Sanction this, assholes ?
We wanted decent healthcare, a living wage and free college.
The Democrats gave us Biden and war instead.
they could, but not for long, and they are
too easily corrupted, imo.
Foreign policy fail
Regarding Turkey, I learned an interesting tidbit from a co-worker a couple of days ago. Our workgroup happened to be discussing Turkey, as our employer had posted some openings for jobs located there. At some point during the chatter, one co-worker mentioned that at the time of the recent coup attempt against President Erdogan, his nephew - a US Army Ranger - was on a warplane headed to Turkey. His outfit was to parachute into Ankara to support the coup. Of course, things didn't go exactly as planned and they turned around.
Anecdotal, I know, but this is from someone I've known for decades. He had no reason to embellish the story.
So, yeah, our foreign policy is certainly not getting any less violent. By the way, the coup attempt was in July, 2016. Trump was not yet President.
Sanctions fail, invasions fail,
Whatever the US sets out to accomplish fails.
It's flailing aimlessly, and it won't be long before the rest of the world figures out that the US is actually fairly dispensible.
"Obama promised transparency, but Assange is the one who brought it."
The purpose of empire
is to force other countries to do business on terms favorable to you. Sanctions are designed to economically isolate a specific target who then has no other options. If you sanction everyone you're given up the benefit of empire and as time goes on they start to trade among themselves. You're left with the massive military bill and no income.
"The greatest shortcoming of the human race is our inability to understand the exponential function." -- Albert Bartlett
"A species that is hurtling toward extinction has no business promoting slow incremental change." -- Caitlin Johnstone
Don't need no stinking diplomatic
badges....we got corporate globalism. Diplomats cost money, petro states make money. Anyway I sometimes think diplomacy is just "civil" or "soft" sanctions.
Diplomats Spend Money Sales People Make Money.
Diplomatic activities are a cost while sales activities are an expense. Big difference between costs and expenses, I think...
And of course, making money is far more beneficial and noble than spending it...
People who make money are good.
“Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat.” ~ Sun Tzu
Don't need no stinking diplomatic
badges....we got corporate globalism. Diplomats cost money, petro states make money. Anyway I sometimes think diplomacy is just "civil" or "soft" sanctions.
New T-Shirt seen around CIA HQ:
The current working assumption appears to be that our Shroedinger's Cat system is still alive. But what if we all suspect it's not, and the real problem is we just can't bring ourselves to open the box?
A bit off topic, but shows how dangerous the US has become
The Trump Administration's attempt to circumvent WTO policy has been drafted. It is called the:
U.S. Fair And Reciprocal Trade Act, or the US FART act for short. Not kidding.
Oh my.
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2018/07/02/yes-trumps-fart-act-now-thi...