Sanctions are one of the most powerful tools in the US toolbox short of war. In fact it's more important than war when dealing with Great Power adversaries because they have nukes. The US should aggressively block any attempt to get around it. Trump shouldn't have pulled out of the Iran deal, but preserving that power for the future is more important. Here's a good article about OFAC, the Treasury Department group th…
US has this clout because it controls a large part of the organizations for international cooperation. With Trump, it is clear that he only wants to exercise such power without considering the consequences of it. With the trust towards US fading, in and out of West, a complimentary mechanism will be created. US will control/influence where its hard power can still reach, but not beyond.
Europe Finally Has an Excuse to Challenge the Dollar
71–80 of 151 posts
Re: Europe Finally Has an Excuse to Challenge the Dollar
#72This article makes absolutely no sense. The EU chosing Iran over the US?! That is not what is going to happen over the reopened Iran deal. What is going to happen is that the EU will fall in line and Iran will be forced to withdraw its activities in Syria, Iraq, Yemen ... due to the severity of the economic hardship caused by the sanctions.
Besides which - what is Macron going to do if half the board of BNP Paribas is arrested when they land on US soil for sanctions busting? Invade? This seems like a very good way for the Europeans to learn how much of the international financial system relies on American goodwill to work as planned.
If France was the dominant world power we would be transacting in euros or francs and they would get to decide who was in the club. Until then ...
Re: Europe Finally Has an Excuse to Challenge the Dollar
#73Earlier quoted context omitted.
These measures usually have 2 unpleasant side-effects for the initiator: they trigger some form of retaliation and they push the other party closer to the enemy. In this case it could come back to harm the US tech sector for example, and it would push EU closer to China and Russia.
« pushing closer to the ennemi », yet i don’t think any european citizen will understand why we prefer to start a judiciary war against the US just so that we can help a muslim theocracy broaden its influence in the middle east. It doesn’t serm to me that the public opinion in europe is really heading toward that kind of opinion.
Re: Europe Finally Has an Excuse to Challenge the Dollar
#74Re: Europe Finally Has an Excuse to Challenge the Dollar
#75Why is the EU so obsessed with propping up this Iranian regime?
Re: Europe Finally Has an Excuse to Challenge the Dollar
#76Earlier quoted context omitted.
Except in reality, countries close to Russia are desperate to have as much NATO and American presence as possible. Why? Because the Soviet Union and the Russian Empire preceding it were a universal net negative.
So what these countries are currently doing is replacing the "Russian Empire" by the "NATO Empire" (NATO/US invasion) instead of simply turning into a democracy and asking people how they want to live.
Re: Europe Finally Has an Excuse to Challenge the Dollar
#77When are we 'exporting democracy' to Europe? Oh, wait.
Re: Europe Finally Has an Excuse to Challenge the Dollar
#78Earlier quoted context omitted.
Imagine a wrestling match. 2 wrestlers fight for some good amount of time. When they're tired enough, a 3rd wrestler gets in and beats both. That was World War II for the most part. After World War II, most of the world was destroyed except for the US. After the war, the US never left. Overseas bases still exist in Germany, Japan and many other places. They had everyone adopt a financial system (Bretton Woods) which…
Very interesting, do you have any books or articles you can recommend on the topic?
Re: Europe Finally Has an Excuse to Challenge the Dollar
#79Why is the EU so obsessed with propping up this Iranian regime?
Go do the world police thing somewhere else while you get over this weird phase your going through, leave this one to us.
Re: Europe Finally Has an Excuse to Challenge the Dollar
#80Earlier quoted context omitted.
These measures usually have 2 unpleasant side-effects for the initiator: they trigger some form of retaliation and they push the other party closer to the enemy. In this case it could come back to harm the US tech sector for example, and it would push EU closer to China and Russia.
« pushing closer to the ennemi », yet i don’t think any european citizen will understand why we prefer to start a judiciary war against the US just so that we can help a muslim theocracy broaden its influence in the middle east. It doesn’t serm to me that the public opinion in europe is really heading toward that kind of opinion.
On the other side, what specifically Iran did do to deserve this? Yes they meddle around their neighbors, just like every other country. US is the last who should be blaming others for this, Iran is at least home and not inciting civil wars in Mexico or Cuba. In the same time Saudi Arabia doing some small-scale genocide in Yemen, bombing civilians left and right gets a free pass and very friendly attitude, yet they are the one of the biggest exporters of terrorism and country is as far from freedom and equality as one can be in 21st century.