End All Sanctions Now
To Assist with the Fight Against Coronavirus
As of today, March 23, 2020, Italy’s death toll from the Coronavirus reached 6000, surpassing that of China. New numbers from Iran are very grim, with a 15% hike in deaths, amid a total of 23,000 confirmed cases thus far. Venezuela remains on lockdown after dozens of people tested positive for the virus. As a result of the U.S. Sanctions, the health care system in Venezuela is in shambles since many hospitals do not have basic medical supplies, let alone water or electricity. Cuba confirmed its first cases of Covid-19 last week, and is now dealing with another crisis after its food supplies were dramatically reduced as a result of the U.S. Petrol Blockade. The common thread in all of this human suffering are the U.S. Sanctions.
Is the Coronavirus not the ultimate leveler that can teach the world the lessons that national ego, pride, and so-called “exceptionalism” do not teach us? Are the U.S. Sanctions not feeding the Coronavirus epidemic right now, by hampering the ability of many countries to respond?
As we all know, the U.S. imposes some form of Sanctions against 39 different countries, including Russia, thus affecting over one-third of the world’s population. These Sanctions cause immense humanitarian suffering, are a violation of international law and are especially immoral at times like these when we are facing a global pandemic.
Iran was coping (barely) under the yoke of U.S. Sanctions before the virus struck with such devastating consequences. The purchasing power of the average Iranian family has fallen by 15-20% over the past year, while prices have risen by over 30%. In addition to the virus attack, the precipitous plunge in oil prices has had a devastating impact. Iran doesn’t have the cash reserves that are needed at a time like this. Iran has requested a $5 billion Emergency Loan from the IMF, in part because of the U.S. Sanctions. We all know, as recently as 2012, Iran had $120 billion in oil exports, in 2020 the estimated figure is a mere $10 billion. If the U.S. were to block this transfer from the IMF, it would be a humanitarian outrage. Even though Iran’s health profession has performed quite admirably in recent years, the combination of cuts in health supplies and personnel, combined with the rapid growth in the Coronavirus outbreak, could precipitate a massive humanitarian crisis in Iran.
Just a few days ago, almost without notice, the U.S. Justice Department quietly dropped the case against an accused Russiagate company, Concord Management and Consulting. The company was keen to show up in court to ask for proof, but for various reasons the U.S. chose not to pursue it further. Almost two years ago, Ambassador Jack Matlock sought to debunk the Russiagate allegations in a piece entitled, “The Intelligence Community, Russian Interference, and Due Diligence”. Since then, two years of valuable time have been lost, which could have been used to salvage U.S.-Russia relations for the better after the poisoning effect of the U.S. Sanctions.
At the Malta Summit in December 1989, which was attended by Presidents Mikhail Gorbachev and George H.W. Bush, an end to the Cold War was declared. Yet, the state of the world as we see it now, with its Sanctions and militant diplomacy that personify America’s will, is even more dangerous than the Cold War that ended at Malta. It’s time for sanity and wisdom to prevail.
The Coronavirus can have lessons for all of us, that is, to put our exceptionalism aside and to view the world through the eyes of John Donne and his poem, No Man is an Island. Donne reminds us that “Any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind.”
With so many dying now around the world, shall we not take time now to heal our neighbors and ourselves? Sanctions affect the ability of countries to contain the outbreak, leading in turn to more infections and, in addition, for the virus to spread beyond one’s borders. This becomes an endless cycle which must stop!
We call for the U.S. Government to end the policy of economic warfare that the U.S. Sanctions represent, and avoid further feeding the Coronavirus epidemic. It’s time for America to move forward to a more honorable, peaceful and holistic future.
The Time for it is Now!
Sharon Tennison
Center for Citizen Initiatives
Krishen Mehta
Former Partner, Price Waterhouse Cooper
Senior Justice Global Fellow, Yale University