As you are aware, the G-7 countries, with a notable emphasis on the United States, have been employing a sanction mechanism. The intensity of these sanctions has significantly escalated since the 2000s, targeting countries perceived to have substantial disagreements in international economics and politics or whose stance contradicts the post-World War II international order.
These sanctions, largely independent of United Nations decisions, not only raise questions in terms of international law but also introduce a series of injustices within the international economic-political system. This is due to the fact that sanctions imposed solely at the discretion of one country, without U.N. endorsement, allow that same country to exhibit flexibility toward nations it considers friends and allies.
If these sanctions were to be sanctioned by the U.N. and represented the collective stance of the global community, it would prevent practices leading to unfair competition among nations. What is even more perplexing is that, since these sanctions lack U.N. backing, some countries asserting non-compliance face intimidation, while others, making similar declarations, go unchallenged. This situation significantly erodes respect and trust in the entire global economic-political system.
However, successive global and regional geopolitical developments indicate that we are going through a period when trust in the global economic-political system and the neutrality of the system are needed most.
Top countries’ self-interest sanctions
The sanctions attempted by certain influential nations in line with their interests lead to the country subjected to sanctions offering its globally exported products to the international market at a price 10% lower than their normal value under the best conditions to economically survive. This percentage can even reach up to 30%, depending on the extent of the sanctions. In this scenario, countries willingly complying with or unintentionally adhering to the sanctions are naturally unable to purchase these significantly cost-reduced products from the sanctioned country.
Conversely, nations resistant to or immune from the specified sanctions exploit the situation, engaging in unfair competition. This allows them to acquire raw materials, intermediate products or final goods at a lower cost, affording them a competitive advantage that remains unaddressed.
Hence, countries attempting to unilaterally impose sanctions, devoid of U.N. endorsement, must grasp that such actions ultimately serve no purpose other than exacerbating injustice within the global system.
What is even more disconcerting is that these unilateral measures erode trust in the already fragile global order.
In a context where the global supply chain is undergoing a search for restructuring, questioning dependence on specific geographies or countries is crucial. In such instances, sanctions that are arbitrarily designed from the outset tend to favor regions and countries with a significant advantage in the global system. Upon reflection three, five or 10 years later, it becomes evident that even the country imposing sanctions arbitrarily finds itself involved in a process contrary to its own interests.
To rebuild trust in the multilateral system, it is imperative for someone to contemplate this matter deeply and thoughtfully.
