Economic Isolation: The Key to Ending Global Oppression
Harnessing the Power of Sanctions to Liberate Oppressed Nations and Secure Human Rights
The impacts of sanctions and embargoes cannot be understated when it comes to ending war and enshrining rights for those who have been denied dignity. The freedom of South Africa relied on collective global isolation that left the country vulnerable. The same must be done globally.
Often, the call for a ceasefire in Palestine permits many to believe it will be the end of continual oppression and abuse— to many, even genocide. It simply places a halt on the wall rather than ensuring the protection and life of brown people.
The Palestinians have been left without a conscious actor who will stand on principles of humanity and dignity instead of allyship. The strategic value and stronghold Israel holds in the Middle East must never be understated. In the Western world, where threats of terrorism exist, there is always a palpable fear of danger. However, no fear can justify ignorance and neglect in denying the atrocities most present in Palestine.
After nearly a full year of media coverage and news talk, it is possible to feel helpless. Even after small victories, such as the ICJ case that was won by South Africa, the violence and the dream of peace feel further apart.
Accompanied by a historic election, as Kamala Harris competes for the presidency of the United States, the spirit of hope and change can be felt. However, whether that feeling will lead to action is still unclear. With Kamala Harris holding the same stance on Palestine as she did under the Biden administration, the imposition of sanctions may be minimal. But many will ask: why sanctions?
It’s simple: war is expensive. The production of military weapons, paying the salaries of war officials, and still trying to run a government quickly become overbearing for the country’s fiscus. This is part of the reason the Soviet Union collapsed due to its over-involvement in conflict. What became clear was that you needed allies to fund the war to ensure you had excess capital.
If you have enough allies, or you have the biggest ally, it is easy to justify a war because there is less of an economic threat when the funding is coming from somewhere else. So the best way to make them reconsider their war is to suffocate their economy and make them concerned about the future of the country.
The United States applied a similar tactic during the Cold War to suffocate the Soviet Union as it continued to overspend on nuclear weaponry. In South Africa, the isolation of the economy meant businesses had to reach out to the African National Congress and begin the conversation about liberation. Sanctions are the biggest proponent of ending the suffering of individuals.
It was sanctions that gave birth to Nelson Mandela and the need for the application of basic human rights to all. This is just history repeating itself, where there is a need to advocate for the end of war everywhere. The threat of instability and oppression that exists for so many across the world needs not to continue.
Though in some capacities it appears to be hyper-optimistic and very pro-world peace, we can no longer exist in a divided world where the application of human rights is conditional on the color of your skin or the region of the world you are based in.
The cries for a free world—whether in Congo, Sudan, or Palestine, among the conflicts we are now aware of—recognize that we can no longer treat our countries as islands that have no impact on our humanity. Rather, we should view them as collectively trying to progress the humanity and dignity of all peoples.
We are a very connected world, yet the disconnect could not seem more apparent. “It’s better to win peace than lose the war,” Bob Marley once said. We have seen the failures of such wars before, and we will see them again as the people of Palestine continue to fight for their freedom and dignity.
We simply need to call for an end to the isolation of the war. We need to call for sanctions and embargoes that enshrine the rights of Palestinians, who are the most deserving of their humanity and dignity. It has been done before, and it can be done again.
FREE PALESTINE.