A Slow Death: Sanctions on Syria Are the Same as Besieging It

By Arya [AryJaey]

As the world watches the ongoing earthquake fiasco in Syria and Turkey, a silent war is being waged against Syria’s people. The horrible natural disaster that crumbled people’s houses with more than 3100 deaths in Syria, the already dire situation in the country is being exacerbated, exposing the double standards of Western countries not providing aid due to imposed sanctions, leaving Syria’s citizens struggling to access basic aid.

Economic sanctions have been used as a tool of warfare for centuries, with devastating consequences for the citizens. Despite being called sanctions, the reality is that these measures are essentially a modern form of a siege, designed to cut off essential supplies and starve a population into submission. Despite the benign-sounding terminology, the impact of sanctions is as devastating as a physical blockade.

Humanity only for non-sanctioned countries

According to the West, it seems that humanitarian aid is only meant for countries not under sanctions, such as Turkey, which suffered an earthquake disaster resulting in more than 18,000 deaths and counting.

Countries such as Iran, Armenia, Algeria and a handful others have helped both Turkey and Syria with relief rescue operations. However, there is no sign of any western countries.

Do you happen to have good intentions and want to help Syria? The US imperialist hegemony won’t let you carry out your charity since the “Caesar Act” from 2020, prevents anyone from doing business with the Syrian authorities. Anyone who neglects this law, will receive the banhammer of travel restrictions and financial sanctions.

Even US-based GoFundMe suspended fundraisers and froze donations that were meant to support Syrian families, in the context of sanctions. However, the firm did not mind flaunting a mind-blowing $100,000 donation to the “White Helmets” – an organization accused of cooperating with the West and other terrorist organizations to commit and stage human rights violations in Syria.

US State Department spokesman Ned Price said the US would continue to provide aid through “humanitarian partners on the ground.”

Despite calls for international aid and support, any [albeit late] assistance that may come from the West is likely to come with strings attached, as it will be channeled through their own proxy organizations and limited to areas under the control of terrorist groups. The absurdity can’t be ignored. Mind boggling, is it not?

Prevention of special equipment

Economical terrorism, aka sanctions, prevent the import of specialized machinery needed to remove rubble without injuring anyone. By preventing the import of this specialized machinery, not only do sanctions exacerbate the humanitarian crisis but also prevents saving innocent civilians from under the rubble. It’s not so political now, is it?

“The evacuation process & rescue operations are restricted due to obstacles resulting from the severe sanctions,” says Khaled Hboubati, president of Syria’s Red Crescent. “We have a shortage in heavy machines & equipment needed to lift the rubble. I don’t mean trucks or bulldozers, I mean specific machines that lift rubble without injuring people trapped under the rubble.”

Some argue that the Syrian government is withholding foreign aid on the northern borders – this is complete nonsense. Majority of the northern borders are controlled by Turkish proxies or US proxy armed forces. Therefore, the said argument completely gets nullified.

Temporary breathing room

On Thursday, the US decided to “temporarily” lift Syrian sanctions on transactions related to earthquake relief for 180 days. The official US government website claims US sanctions do not “target legitimate humanitarian assistance.” If that’s the case, why did they need to lift sanctions in the first place in order to provide basic humanitarian aid during a natural disaster?

Sine qua non

The true objective of sanctions is to destabilize Syria and ultimately lead it to internal collapse, civil war, or regime change. If you have been following the news for the last few years, this should sound familiar to you.

From the start, it is the ordinary citizen who bears the brunt of these measures. The aim is to inflict such widespread suffering that the population will rise up against their leaders and demand change. However, the reality is that sanctions open the doors to poverty which lead to humanitarian crises, causing immense suffering for the very people they are meant to protect.

The tactics of using fear, chaos, and oppression to control a population have a name: terrorism. According to the Oxford dictionary, terrorism is defined as “the unlawful use of violence and intimidation, especially against civilians, in the pursuit of political aims.”

The inclusion of the word “unlawful” raises some intriguing questions, the editors were probably trying to avoid accusations of overgeneralization. The idea of using violence and intimidation against innocent people ever being considered “lawful” is difficult to fathom. However, some may argue that such actions become permissible in a declared state of war [hint: America’s Machiavellianism policy].