In the wake of the earthquakes in Turkiye and Syria, so far killing over 50,000 people, injuring and making homeless many more, the actions of the United States administration toward Syria in particular has been both callous and hypocritical. Years of sanctions against Syria has prevented normal economic development and greatly increased poverty, disease and death. Since the February 6 earthquake, despite explicit calls by international relief organizations to remove the barriers to their recovery efforts, the U.S. government has continued to play a deadly game.
The cover story was issued on Feb. 9, with the U.S.’s “Authorizing Transactions Related to Earthquake Relief Efforts in Syria.” The temporary and partial measures provide a cynical show, but little else. Syrians outside of the country cannot send money into the country. The complexity of the sanctions leave companies in fear of engaging in any transactions in Syria, and the U.S. government does nothing to dispel the climate of confusion and risk. The inability of individuals and companies to engage in financial transactions to rebuild the infrastructure, purchase materials, or provide the fuel for electricity. and heating remains.
The next day, the UN Human Rights office of the High Commissioner issued a press release, “Genuine solidarity with earthquake survivors calls for lifting sanction-induced restrictions.” It explained why the U.S.’s actions were totally inadequate, citing the omission of the question of bank transfers, financial flows, and the general building of the country. It called for immediate action by the international community to enable effective emergency response and recovery. “This includes the lifting of all economic and financial restrictions caused by unilateral sanctions against Syria, during this time of sorrow and human suffering.... For such interventions to be effective, there is a need for an enabling environment for international cooperation and unhindered delivery of humanitarian assistance, including of food, medicines, medical equipment, and construction material, among others, as well as unimpeded financial flows to support such assistance, all of which are constrained by current sanctions regimes against countries, such as Syria.”
“Even during natural disasters, when hundreds of thousands of lives are at stake, it is gravely concerning that humanitarian actors face persisting challenges due to sanctions, including with regard to procurement procedures and bank transfers. It is reported that the Syrian diaspora is unable to provide financial support through remittances or other means of funding. It is imperative for the international community and in particular sanctioning states to undertake prompt action by putting an end to unilateral sanctions against Syria, a country deprived of critical infrastructure and in dire need of recovery and reconstruction, following the decade-long war.”
The U.S. had ignored the Feb 7 call by the Middle East Council of Churches and the World Council of Churches urging “the immediate lifting of sanctions on Syria and allowing access to all materials, so sanctions may not turn into a crime against humanity.” Then, on Feb 17, a group of 16 national faith organizations in the U.S. followed up on the Feb. 7 call, and issued an appeal for the U.S. to lift the sanctions and expedite humanitarian assistance, citing the “multilayered constrictions caused by U.S. sanctions.”
Washington has continued the cold-blooded geopolitical line, so well articulated in the Feb. 19 article, “Are U.S., Sanctions Against Syria Stalling Humanitarian Aid After the Earthquake?” posted in the “The Intercept.” The author, Murtaza Hussain, explains that calls for aiding the victims in Syria run up against the need to “help” Syrians by destroying the elected government of Bashar Assad. Sanctions “protect Syrians from further harm by denying the government resources to rearm and launch a military campaign against the millions of people who live in opposition-held areas most affected by the quake. The regime has inflicted thousands of times more damage on the country than the recent earthquake.”