Sanctions Without Evidence Now the U.S. Way

posted by Bill Arnett @ 1:38 PM Permalink

One of the most disturbing practices of America is to seek imposition of sanctions without a shred, not one scintilla, of evidence of any wrong-doing on the part of the country/s against which America seeks sanctions. That this is done through the auspices of the U.N Security Council, which apparently is afraid to stand up to America, carries little weight absent any evidence to support the request for sanctions.

Nowhere is this more evident than the situation with Iran, which claims the right to peaceful use of nuclear power, while the United States, totally absent any proof, claims that Iran's nuclear program is for the purpose of building nuclear weapons.

This dichotomy is very well illustrated by this article from TimesOnline (Times of London) where conflicting statements are presented:

The major UN powers have agreed on a new set of sanctions aimed at deterring Iran from building nuclear weapons, Britain's Ambassador to the world body said today.…According to a draft resolution obtained by The Times, the sanctions, which will be presented to the UN Security Council for a vote next week, include a ban on Iranian arms exports; restrictions on the movement of Iranian officials believed to be connected to the country's weapons programme; and the first stage of a block on international investment in Tehran.

Obviously the effort to sanction Iran is to stop proliferation of nuclear weapons, which to the U.N. Security Council appears to be a given. Case closed.

However, further into the article we find this statement:

The International Atomic Energy Agency, the UN's nuclear watchdog, says there is no proof that Iran has a weapons programme but noted last month that the Tehran was accelerating its enrichment processes rather than suspending them, as the UN has demanded.

It is only commonsense that no person or country can "prove a negative", i.e., "When did you stop beating your wife?".

It is therefore impossible for Iran to prove a negative and, obviously, the United States cannot prove the positive, that Iran has a nuclear weapons program. In any responsible court of law such doubt would be a call for dismissal of a case or a finding of reasonable doubt calling for acquittal, but here the U.S. is simply bullying other countries into going along with ever greater sanctions until sufficient provocation for war may arise.

Has America corrupted the U.N. Security Council to the point that they no longer function as a tribunal formed to follow and enforce international law and are now nothing but America's "whipping boys?"

We have known for some time that "furriners" can no longer seek justice or reparation from American courts thanks to bush and his Rubber-stamping 109th Congress. Is it now also impossible for any country the U.S. opposes to get a fair hearing at the U.N., or at least require whatever charges made against them be supported by evidence before sanctions are levied?

If not, where can any country go to seek justice?

Labels: GOP, GWOT, Iran, war