{"id":29271,"date":"2025-08-05T07:15:07","date_gmt":"2025-08-05T11:15:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stateofthenation.info\/?p=29271"},"modified":"2025-08-05T07:17:49","modified_gmt":"2025-08-05T11:17:49","slug":"senate-sanctions-bill-threatens-india","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stateofthenation.info\/?p=29271","title":{"rendered":"

“There can be no future for any government run by temper tantrums.”<\/span><\/b><\/h1>"},"content":{"rendered":"

Senate Sanctions Bill Threatens India<\/h1>\n

Submitted by Renee Parsons<\/p>\n

The use of arbitrary sanctions<\/span><\/a> has been freely used by the US as a foreign policy tool or as an economic weapon against countries or individuals which dare to deviate from the global Empire\u2019s established policies.\u00a0 <\/span>Many of those sanctions constitute trade restrictions, national security goals or may damage US economic interests or even block certain assets until and unless the errant country amends its behavior.<\/p>\n

Once applied, those sanctions may continue for an indeterminate amount of time until the US Department of Treasury or the State Department<\/span><\/a> decide that removal of economic sanctions are appropriate to reward or incentivize improved behavior.\u00a0 <\/span>Today, Russia<\/span><\/a> and Iran<\/span><\/a> may be among the most sanctioned<\/span><\/a> countries in the world as the Palestinian Authority<\/span><\/a> is sanctioned even as much of the world favors statehood for Palestine.<\/p>\n

The misuse<\/span><\/a> of sanctions has been cited as a counter productive, coercive factor as the BRICS\u00a0 <\/span>(Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa)\u00a0 <\/span>formed a multipolar alliance as an alternative to the intimidating influence conducted by the global hegemony favoring western institutions.\u00a0 <\/span>By 2025 BRICS<\/span><\/a> membership grew to include Egypt, Ethiopia, UAE, Iran and Indonesia including\u00a0 <\/span>\u2018partner<\/i>\u2019 members with Belarus, Bolivia, Cuba, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Nigeria, Thailand, Uganda, Uzbekistan and Vietnam.<\/p>\n

Based on facilitating trade using local currency rather than the Dollar, BRICS represents 56%<\/span><\/a> of the world population and 44% of global GDP. \u00a0 <\/span>As if to acknowledge the contrast, the US maintains a vigorous military industrial complex as it retains its status as the number one arms dealer<\/span><\/a> in the world with exports at 43%, more than either China or Russia while the US debt has increased to $37 trillion with a daily\u00a0 <\/span>$2.4 billion<\/span><\/a> interest payment.<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

Despite the inaugural assurance that President Trump would end the Ukraine war, the conflict has spilled over into social media with a series of snit fits as the erratic Trump provoked Russian President Putin to end the war in fifty days \u2026.\u201dor else<\/i>\u201d.\u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>Not unexpectedly, Trump changed the fifty days to ten or twelve days and then inexplicably further reduced the time frame to six days.<\/p>\n

In a typical over-reaction<\/span><\/a> to a recent Medvedev social media<\/span><\/a> post, Trump traded insults on social media as he escalated his own crisis from which there is little escape with an ill-conceived response that might be worrisome as he ordered two US Navy nuclear submarines into strategic position.<\/p>\n

In a recent TruthSocial post<\/span><\/a>, Trump declared \u201cStop the killing in Ukraine<\/i>\u201d yet the President has repeatedly failed to connect the dots:\u00a0 <\/span>that if he stopped US support for Ukraine, the war would be over within twenty four hours.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Former Russian President Medvedev responded with a post<\/span><\/a>:<\/p>\n

\u201cTrump’s playing the ultimatum game with Russia: 50 days or 10\u2026 He should remember 2 things: 1. Russia isn’t Israel or even Iran. 2. Each new ultimatum is a threat and a step towards war. Not between Russia and Ukraine, but with his own country. Don’t go down the Sleepy Joe road<\/i>!\u201d<\/p>\n

Clearly, Medvedev who has a reputation as a Twitter troll was playing with Trump\u2019s own inability to stop the war in a timely manner, although the President chose to interpret Medvedev\u2019s words as \u2018highly provocative<\/i>\u201d and \u201cinflammatory<\/i>\u201d which caused him to \u2018reposition<\/i>\u2019 two US Navy nuclear submarines to \u201cappropriate regions<\/i>\u201d. \u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Trump told Medvedev to \u201cwatch his words<\/i><\/span><\/a>,\u201d and called him a \u201cfailed former President of Russia,<\/i>\u201d and said he was \u201centering very dangerous territory<\/i>.\u201d<\/p>\n

Trump\u2019s habit of escalating that which does not deserve to be escalated is a soft spot indicative of an incongruous thinker with little self assurance who can be easily influenced. \u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

At about the same time, US sanctions reared its offensive head as HR 1241<\/span><\/a>, the Sanctioning Russia Act of 2015; otherwise known as the Graham-Blumenthal Sanctions Bill<\/span><\/a> was introduced representing two of the most anti MAGA, pro sanction Senators committed to keep the Ukraine war going.\u00a0 <\/span>The Act made major legislative progress with 84 bipartisan co-sponsors. <\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

Those co sponsors included\u00a0 <\/span>forty three Democrats and forty one Republican Senators all of whom endorsed the ill-conceived concept of applying a \u201c500% tariff on imported goods from Russia as well as those nations who buy Russian oil, gas, uranium and other products<\/span><\/a>.\u201d\u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

By the end of July, fifteen Senators from both sides of the aisle were withholding support<\/span><\/a> for Graham-Blumenthal including such America First foreign policy advocates as Sen. Mike Lee (Utah), Sen. Ron Johnson (Wisc) and other newbie GOP Freshman. \u00a0 <\/span>Sen. Rand Paul (Ky) declared a No vote even if Trump endorses the bill citing that \u201cIt would be devastating to world trade and probably the most injurious to our economy<\/i>\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

Perhaps it may be that some members of the GOP Senate were reacting to President Trump\u2019s earlier criticisms of any member of Congress who disagree with the President\u2019s agenda, none of whom wish to be publicly chastised as others who were critical of the One Big Beautiful Bill or other Trump initiatives.<\/p>\n

The purpose of 1241 is to:\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cImpose sanctions and other measures with respect to the Russian Federation if the Government of the Russian Federation refuses to negotiate a peace agreement with Ukraine, violates any such agreement, or initiates another military invasion of Ukraine, and for other purposes<\/i>.\u201d<\/p>\n

Trump is unable to acknowledge that BRICS has identified coercive US tactics as counter productive and must learn to demonstrate flexibility in its trade and tariff negotiations.<\/p>\n

According to an April 1st<\/sup><\/span> press release<\/span><\/a> from Sen. Lindsay Graham (R-SC), \u201cCompanion legislation is being introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by U.S. Representatives Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pennsylvania), Mike Quigley (D-Illinois), Joe Wilson (R-South Carolina) and Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio).\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n

In a May 21st<\/sup><\/span> press release from Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn) added that \u201cOur legislation will isolate Russia\u00a0\u2013\u00a0putting it on a trade island by imposing stiff tariffs on other countries that support these atrocities. One of the main priorities of our legislation is to hold China accountable for propping up Putin\u2019s war machine by buying cheap Russian oil from the shadow fleet. Without China\u2019s economic support, Putin\u2019s war machine would come to a grinding halt.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n

Similarly, Mr. <\/i>Blumenthal failed to mention that without US funding and a steady supply of weapons, the Ukraine war machine would come to a grinding halt.<\/p>\n

Trump has promised to apply \u2018secondary\u2019 sanctions on India and China if Russia does not stop war in Ukraine in ten days\u2026or is it five days. \u00a0 <\/span>While India had been reportedly identified<\/span><\/a> as having earned a 25% tariff<\/span><\/a> on US imports, its foreign ministry refuted the US claim that New Delhi has halted its purchase<\/span><\/a> of Russian oil.\u00a0 <\/span>Citing that its energy purchases are \u201cbased on price, availability and market conditions<\/i>\u201d that prioritize the welfare of India\u2019s 1.4 billion consumers rather than alignment with western sanctions<\/span><\/a>. \u00a0 <\/span>Between 2023-2024, India saved $7.9 billion<\/span><\/a> on oil imports by purchasing Russian crude.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller has not only criticized India but accused them of \u2018financing\u2019 the Ukraine<\/span><\/a> war by their purchase of Russian crude. \u00a0 <\/span>\u201cWhat he [Trump] said very clearly is that it is not acceptable for India to continue financing this war by purchasing the oil from Russia<\/i>.\u2019<\/p>\n

Miller also accused India of \u2018cheating on immigration<\/i><\/span><\/a>\u201d adding that “People will be shocked to learn that India is basically tied with\u00a0<\/i>China<\/i><\/span><\/a>\u00a0in purchasing Russian oil<\/i>,” he said. “That’s an astonishing fact<\/span><\/a>.”\u00a0 <\/span>Not such an astonishing fact when it comes to public attention that India has saved billions of dollars in its purchase of Russian oil.<\/p>\n

The Indian Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond while Indian government officials told\u00a0Reuters<\/span><\/a>\u00a0on Aug. 2 that the country intends to continue buying Russian oil despite U.S. warnings.<\/p>\n

India has steadily increased its dependence<\/span><\/a> on Russian crude since 2022, now sourcing over a third of its oil imports from Moscow.\u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>While India is a protectionist state, protecting its small businesses, neither Russia nor India is expected to capitulate to Trump\u2019s tariff\/ sanction policy as a geopolitical weapon against another country.\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

There can be no future for any government run by tantrum, that is not serving the public interest and will discover the art of winning friends and influencing people as a more constructive path for success.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Renee Parsons<\/i><\/b>\u00a0has been an elected public official in Colorado, an environmental lobbyist with Friends of the Earth and a staff member in the US House of Representative in Washington, DC. Before its demise, she was also a member of the ACLU\u2019s Florida State Board of Directors and President of the ACLU Treasure Coast Chapter. She is a regular contributor to Global Research.<\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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