NEW YORK (Rooters agency) – “The world has become a much more dangerous place because the most dangerous regimes in the world have refused to abandon their stockpiles of the most dangerous weapons in the world.” With these words, the United Nations Secretary-General today announced wide-ranging international sanctions against the United States and Israel.
The measures, endorsed overwhelmingly by the UN General Assembly, are intended to pressure the governments of the two countries to accede to the demand for nuclear disarmament. Israel is called upon to “sign the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and dismantle its existing nuclear weapons,” while the USA is told it should “proceed forthwith to negotiate the destruction of all of its nuclear weapons, at it promised to do more than four decades ago.”
The sanctions imposed by the General Assembly include a ban on international travel by leaders of the two governments and forbid any banking transactions between the USA or Israel and any other country. However, any two other countries may still use US dollars in their transactions with each other, “if they’re silly enough to do so,” as the Secretary-General put it.
In anticipation of the General Assembly vote, traders had already devalued the dollar by 10 percent. Rapidly escalating prices are expected in the USA and Israel as it becomes impossible for them to import anything (except through cash transactions or barter), and their currencies will be further devalued by their inability to export.
In the debate on the resolution, delegate after delegate pointed out that the USA is the only country that has used nuclear bombs against civilian populations, and that Israel has repeatedly demonstrated its willingness to attack neighboring countries when that suits its interests. Moreover, they added, there would be little point in destroying US nuclear weapons but leaving them in the hands of a country that has always been prepared to act as a US agent.
In addition to the USA and Israel, the only countries to vote against the resolution were China, France, India, North Korea, Pakistan, Russia and the UK. The French delegate explained his government’s stance by saying, “It would be a great pleasure to impose sanctions on the American barbarian bankers, but we are wary of establishing a precedent that might be misused against France’s peaceful nuclear weapons.”
Diplomats were not prepared to predict how long it might take for the sanctions to force the two governments to follow the wishes of the international community. A spokesperson for the Secretary-General said, “We expect the USA and Israel to comply with the expressed wishes of the great majority of world governments. We hope that further measures will not be necessary. But nothing has been ruled out.”
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