There was an interesting article in the Christian Science Monitor’s MonitorWeek magazine this week, which pointed out the West (primarily the U.S. and Britain) have issued economic sanctions against scores of countries throughout the world for what they perceive as wrongdoing.
A graphic pointed out that more than 75 countries are now subject to, or are under threat of, 21 specific sanctions. Among the countries listed as under sanctions was Canada.
Did I miss something, or am I forgetting something that’s still under way from years ago?
Maybe those “South Park” movie-creators were right …
“We are here for this – to make mistakes and to correct ourselves, to withstand the blows and to hand them out.” Primo Levi
While we’re on the subject, the graphic also showed Mexico, Italy and what appears to be Greece (it wasn’t the largest graphic) as being under U.S. sanctions.
Anyone know what specific sanctions all of these otherwise allies are under, and why?
“We are here for this – to make mistakes and to correct ourselves, to withstand the blows and to hand them out.” Primo Levi
Here is a list of several current and proposed US sanctions. Don’t know much about the accuracy, though.
WAG: probably trade with Cuba is the reason Canada is on the list you saw. Maybe something to do with farming subsidies as well.
Here’s the article you mentioned.
There may be some other small sanctionable activities going on with Canada, but the primary activity is the issue of trade with Cuba. Under threats from our vocal 30-year visitors down in Miami, a few years ago the U.S. imposed some truly stupid trade sanctions against any country that violated our ban against trade with Cuba. No other country takes it very seriously and the U.S. looks doubly stupid, first for maintaining a state of economic war against a “hostile” country that no longer has any support from the patron (U.S.S.R.) that propped it up for thirty years and secondly for expecting any other rationally run country to accept our ban on trade. (I can’t remember the name of the stupid law, off hand, although I’m pretty sure Jesse Helms was involved with it.)
Tom~
I believe you’re thinking of the Helms-Burton Act, Tom. At least, that’s what I was thinking of when I made my WAG.
There have been lots of proposed sanctions between the U.S. and Canada. Perceived violations of the Free Trade Agreement make up a lot of them. For example, Canada was facing economic sanctions from the U.S. for its policy of demanding a certain amount of Canadian Content advertising in U.S. magazines that are shipped here. Magazines that didn’t meet the requirement were subject to added tariffs. The U.S. (correctly) felt that this was a violation of the FTA.
Agriculture subsidies on both sides have resulted in threats of sanctions by both countries.
I believe there was also a recent issue having something to do with one country violating some agreement having to do with drug laws. British Columbia is a major Marijuana cultivation area, and I think the U.S. government was trying to come down hard on that province to police it better.
Somehow these are two things that seem to go hand in hand.
Farm subsidies? Whoa, Americans who live in glass houses…
Dee da dee da dee dee do do / Dee ba ditty doh / Deedle dooby doo ba dee um bee ooby / Be doodle oodle doodle dee doh http://members.xoom.com/labradorian/
In response to (bolding is mine, postwas not):
So?
Tom~
And I thought it had to do with toilet smuggling. You know the full sized ones.
Sex is like bridge: If you don’t have a good partner, you better have a good hand.
– Charles Pierce
U.S. farm subsidies, depending on the measure and the food commodity, are between 2 and 10 times Canadian farm subsidies… such as there are. The food growers here are kind of peeved at our governments, actually, that we don’t subsidize them enough compared to the US and EU.
Dee da dee da dee dee do do / Dee ba ditty doh / Deedle dooby doo ba dee um bee ooby / Be doodle oodle doodle dee doh http://members.xoom.com/labradorian/