The United States of Sanctions

[Kaitzilla]

This thread is about all the ways the largest economy in the world (USA #1) throws its weight around outside of war.


1) US officials argued almost 2 years ago that $300 billion in Russian assets that were frozen should be seized.

Client Challenge

Seizing it would be theft?


2) Brazil was slapped with a 50% tariff (import tax) to the USA because President Trump didn't like how the leftist government treated his friend former President Bolsinaro.

Trump hits Brazil with tariffs, sanctions but key sectors excluded

U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday slapped a 50% tariff on most Brazilian goods to fight what he has called a "witch hunt" against former President Jair Bolsonaro, but softened the blow by excluding sectors such as aircraft, energy and orange juice from heavier levies.

www.reuters.com

SAO PAULO/BRASILIA, July 30 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday slapped a 50% tariff on most Brazilian goods to fight what he has called a "witch hunt" against former President Jair Bolsonaro, but softened the blow by excluding sectors such as aircraft, energy and orange juice from heavier levies.

I hope that Congress or the Courts can halt this kind of madness.
Economic policy should not be so whimsical!
I heard about their coffee industry suffering because of this.


3) USA hit India with 50% tariffs for buying Russian oil.

US hikes India tariffs to 50 percent over Russian oil purchases

Washington's move to double tariffs on many Indian goods poses a huge risk to India's biggest export market.

www.aljazeera.com

Should we really put so much hurt on other countries that want to trade with each other?
We are not even at war with Russia.


4) 5 years ago, the USA seized fuel being shipped from Iran to Venezuela.
Isn't that just raw theft?

US confirms seizure of Iranian fuel on Venezuela-bound ships

WASHINGTON (AFP) – The US Justice Department on Friday confirmed it had seized the fuel cargo aboard four tankers sent by Iran to crisis-wracked Venezuela, tying the shipments to Teheran’s Revolutionary Guards and stepping up the pressure on its foe. Read more at straitstimes.com. Read more at...

www.straitstimes.com

5) All kinds of International Criminal Court judges and associated people have been sanctioned.

https://www.cnn.com/2025/08/20/politics/trump-international-criminal-court-sanctions

The Trump administration escalated its fight against the International Criminal Court by imposing sanctions on four more court officials involved in work related to alleged Israeli and US war crimes.

Sanctions, penalties, seizures, etc. seem to be growing exponentially against the whole world.
Where will it all end?

 

[Sommerswerd]

It won’t end. Why would it “end”? How could it? As you indirectly reference, the other option is war, so sanctions are the peaceful alternative.

 

[Kaitzilla]

It won’t end. Why would it “end”? How could it? As you indirectly reference, the other option is war, so sanctions are the peaceful alternative.

I think I read today foreigners were threatened to have their visas yanked if they criticized Charlie Kirk who was assassinated.

State Department threatens action against foreign nationals praising Charlie Kirk's death

Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau warned foreign nationals who praise the killing of Charlie Kirk that they are not welcome in the U.S.

www.usatoday.com

And now that Bolsonaro got a 27 year sentence, will Brazil face 100% tariffs?

Check out this madness.

US to push G7 to impose tariffs on China, India over Russian oil, FT reports

The U.S. will push for the tariffs at a virtual meeting of the G7 finance ministers on Sept. 12, four sources familiar with the plan told FT.

www.yahoo.com

The Trump administration plans to urge Group of Seven (G7) nations to impose sanctions on China and India over their purchase of Russian oil, the Financial Times (FT) reported on Sept. 11.

The U.S. will push for the tariffs at a virtual meeting of the G7 finance ministers on Sept. 12, four sources familiar with the plan told FT.

Sources told FT that the proposed tariffs plan would see tariffs be at a rate between 50% and 100%.

The news comes just a few days after Trump on Sept. 9 called on the European Union to impose tariffs of up to 100% on China and India as part of a coordinated effort to increase pressure on Russia.

This seems grossly unfair to India.


It seems to me quite a lot innocent people are being punished.
Like billions of people, collective punishment.

 

[banzay13]

US and EU sanctions have killed 38 million people since 1970
Far from a peaceful tool, these measures weaponise hunger and deprivation to enforce Western dominance.
Al Jazeera

Sanctions, on Rise, Are as Deadly as Armed Conflict, Study Says

Sanctions can cause as many fatalities as armed conflict, with unilateral penalties being associated with more than half a million deaths per year, according to a new analysis.

www.bloomberg.com

 

[Akka]

Check out this madness.

US to push G7 to impose tariffs on China, India over Russian oil, FT reports

The U.S. will push for the tariffs at a virtual meeting of the G7 finance ministers on Sept. 12, four sources familiar with the plan told FT.

www.yahoo.com

This seems grossly unfair to India.


It seems to me quite a lot innocent people are being punished.
Like billions of people, collective punishment.

What's funny here is that the USA are pushing to "punish" countries who are buying Russian oil (sanctionned due to Ukraine war), while at the same time being all buddy-buddy with Russia when it comes to said war. Go figure.

 

[Snowygerry]

A tariff is a tax on your OWN population, not a “sanction”.

 

[Kaitzilla]

A tariff is a tax on your OWN population, not a “sanction”.

The USA is the world's #1 economy and has agreements with oil giants.

Huge tariffs mean it is much harder to trade with the USA to acquire US dollars.

Not having US dollars means...

EBC Financial Group |Forex|Commodities|Index CFDs|Share CFDs

EBC Financial Group Limited is a limited company registered in England and Wales under Company number 12503674 and is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (Registration Number：927552 )

www.ebc.com

The petrodollar system functions on a relatively simple premise: oil, the world's most traded commodity, is priced and sold exclusively in U.S. dollars. This dynamic creates an artificial but highly durable demand for the dollar across the globe.

Every country that wishes to purchase oil on international markets must first acquire U.S. dollars, regardless of its own domestic currency.

...life gets much harder.

Can get oil from Russia, Iran, or Venezuela I guess.

I'd say the tariffs sure do feel like sanctions.

 

[Snowygerry]

I doubt you'll find willing partners at the G7 table to cut in their own flesh to support the weaponisation of US petrodollar. Canada, France, Japan, UK, Germany, Italy, your president managed to piss them all off in recent months.

They will smile, do absolutely nothing and watch Scott Bessent crash and burn. I'm sure the food will be delicious though

Not to say the alternatives are in any way more desirable - not to us here in Europe at least, in the Far East they may see things differently :

The petroyuan provides states with an alternative oil trade currency, launching crude oil futures contracts denominated in yuan, and encouraging oil-exporting nations, especially those under Western sanctions, to adopt the Chinese system. This article explores case studies such as Russia, Iran, and Venezuela, illustrating how the petroyuan has been implemented to bypass sanctions and reduce dependence on US financial systems.

Geopolitics of Oil: How China is Challenging the Petrodollar through the Pedro-Yuan | International Policy Review

ipr.blogs.ie.edu

It wouldn't take much to add India to that list.

If your goal is to disrupt Russian oil export there are much more effective and discrete methods available, that do not disrupt global trade (as much):

It is important to note in this regard that moves to damage Russia’s “shadow fleet” have not been restricted to sanctions. In recent months there have been a string of attacks on such vessels in the Mediterranean with limpet mines and other explosive devices — developments that have been virtually ignored by Western media.

Europe's risky war on Russia's 'shadow fleet'

The EU wants to target illicit oil tankers, a move that could expand the Ukraine war and drag the US in further

responsiblestatecraft.org