The hottest Sanctions Substack posts right now

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Top World Politics Topics

No Laffan Matter

Doomberg • 7994 implied HN points • 06 Mar 26
🌍 World Politics Sanctions
  1. The EU weakened its industrial competitiveness by replacing cheap Russian pipeline gas with much more expensive LNG, and some of that LNG still came from Russia.
  2. Brussels plans a phased ban on Russian pipeline gas and LNG by 2027, but that policy risks sharp price and supply shocks during the transition.
  3. The war that shut down Qatar’s Ras Laffan LNG exports has tightened global gas supplies and will hit the EU hardest, raising the danger of a repeat 2021-style energy crisis and deeper deindustrialization.

Midweek Update #3: For Now, This Looks Like Obama-Minus (And Trump Minus-Minus)

Phillips’s Newsletter • 301 implied HN points • 25 Mar 26
🌍 World Politics Sanctions
  1. Iran controls the Persian Gulf and the Straits of Hormuz, so the U.S. currently lacks leverage and must either escalate militarily or offer big concessions despite public claims of victory.
  2. Seizing Kharg Island might hurt Iran's oil exports on paper, but holding it would be risky, logistically vulnerable, could fail to force concessions, and would likely spike oil prices and widen the war.
  3. Threatening to destroy Iran's power plants was an extreme, possibly unlawful move that signaled desperation, weakened the U.S. negotiating position, and increased the risk of dangerous escalation.

Jeffrey Sachs Is Trying To Fix The New York Times' Iran War Coverage, One Email At A Time

TK News by Matt Taibbi • 2828 implied HN points • 11 Mar 26
🌍 World Politics Sanctions
  1. The US pursued a “maximum pressure” strategy—using sanctions and economic measures early on—to weaken Iran and push for regime change, which helped trigger economic collapse and street protests. Major media outlets have largely failed to report this connection.
  2. Current US and Israeli military actions against Iran look like unjustified aggression rather than lawful self‑defense and risk a severe global energy crisis, stagflation, and long recovery times for damaged infrastructure. Global leaders need to publicly pressure Washington and Tel Aviv to stop the attacks.
  3. A powerful, unaccountable “deep state”—including intelligence agencies and military interests—drives aggressive foreign policy with little congressional oversight, and officials who promise reform often get co‑opted. Strong, independent investigations and oversight are urgently needed to restore democratic control.

Interview With America's Exiled Speech Dissident, Dimitri Simes

TK News by Matt Taibbi • 2758 implied HN points • 10 Mar 26
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Sanctions
  1. A longtime U.S. journalist was criminally charged under a sanctions law for hosting and being paid by a Russian TV program, an unprecedented use of IEEPA that effectively criminalizes certain foreign media employment.
  2. An aggressive FBI raid confiscated many personal belongings and the journalist now lives in Russia under indictment, showing severe personal consequences and that mainstream U.S. outlets largely distanced themselves despite past reliance on his expertise.
  3. The case raises serious First Amendment and press-freedom concerns because the show was in Russian for a Russian audience and there are no public espionage or clear disinformation allegations, creating a chilling precedent for journalists and others paid by foreign outlets.

Weekend Update #177: Russian Losses And Ukrainian Fighting

Phillips’s Newsletter • 341 implied HN points • 22 Mar 26
🌍 World Politics Sanctions
  1. Ukrainian forces have reorganized around drone-based units and new doctrine, using UAVs (including fibre-optic controlled drones) to inflict record Russian casualties while keeping Ukrainian soldiers safer.
  2. The U.S. policy shift has effectively eased pressure on Russia—lifting or reducing sanctions, opening trade channels for Belarus, and publicly downplaying support for Ukraine—signaling weaker American backing for Kyiv.
  3. Ukraine has escalated long-range drone strikes deep into Russian territory against refineries, factories, and logistics hubs, demonstrating increased reach and prompting Russian officials to admit growing vulnerabilities.
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More Cowbell

Doomberg • 6232 implied HN points • 17 Feb 26
🌍 World Politics Sanctions
  1. The EU's large bureaucracy keeps repeating sanctions out of institutional momentum, so policy changes are hard even when past packages have not achieved their goals.
  2. The drop in Russia's oil and gas revenues looks driven more by global price declines and market forces than by sanctions, and signs like a strong ruble suggest sanctions haven't shattered the economy.
  3. Major players such as Rosatom remain able to do business with European partners, highlighting big gaps and contradictions in the sanctions regime where strategic energy and technology ties are preserved.

Iran Is Morally Superior To The United States

Caitlin’s Newsletter • 2994 implied HN points • 04 Mar 26
🌍 World Politics Sanctions
  1. The United States is depicted as morally worse than Iran because it carries out far more murderous, tyrannical, and destructive actions around the world.
  2. US global power is argued to come from deliberate aggression — wars, bombings, coups, sanctions, and nuclear brinkmanship — rather than mere happenstance of strength.
  3. Many Westerners conflate personal comfort with moral judgement, overlooking that US violence is exported abroad and thus the US is morally unqualified to dictate how other countries like Iran should be run.

Iran Turns The Table On Trump.

C.O.P. Central Organizing Principle. • 72 implied HN points • 13 Mar 26
🌍 World Politics Sanctions
  1. Iran has effectively taken control over passage through the Strait of Hormuz, showing it can influence global oil flows and undercut the US goal of controlling oil trade and dollar dominance.
  2. US efforts to seize foreign oil and pressure allies have backfired and exposed American weakness, while Russia and China’s support for Iran deters military intervention.
  3. Iran’s strikes, reportedly using hypersonic weapons, have seriously damaged Israeli military and nuclear sites, raising fears of nuclear escalation while making any nuclear strike on Iran seem catastrophic and likely to fail or provoke massive retaliation.

Timeline: The March To War With Iran

TK News by Matt Taibbi • 2542 implied HN points • 01 Mar 26
🌍 World Politics Sanctions
  1. The U.S. and Israel moved from sanctions and covert planning to open military strikes, culminating in a large joint operation aimed at crippling Iran’s nuclear and military capabilities and pushing for regime change.
  2. Diplomacy and inspections continued even as attacks happened: multiple U.S.–Iran talks mediated by Oman, IAEA oversight, and snapback UN sanctions all unfolded, but experts disagreed about how much Iran’s nuclear program was actually degraded.
  3. Mass protests in Iran and a violent government crackdown, combined with economic pressure like a deliberate dollar shortage, became focal points for international action and rhetoric, deepening regional instability and splitting global responses.

Roundup #75: Checking in on the Bad Guys

Noahpinion • 16000 implied HN points • 14 Jan 26
🌍 World Politics Sanctions
  1. Iran’s mass unrest is rooted largely in economic and resource failures — severe water shortages, power cuts, runaway inflation, and sanctions have crushed living standards and helped spark protests.
  2. China is using export controls and other levers to block India’s rise in strategic manufacturing (especially batteries), because Beijing sees Indian industrialization as a geopolitical threat.
  3. Russia’s wartime economy is weaker than it looks on paper — likely understated inflation, falling real incomes, lower oil revenues, and attacks on infrastructure are straining its long-term capacity.

Tell Iranian And Cuban Diaspora Warmongers To Shut The Fuck Up

Caitlin’s Newsletter • 2817 implied HN points • 22 Feb 26
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Sanctions
  1. Some people from the Iranian or Cuban diaspora push for US military intervention and try to silence critics, and those bullying tactics should be called out. You don’t have to defer to them just because of their family background.
  2. Opposing imperialist wars and sanctions is everyone’s right, even if you aren’t from the targeted country. Lived experience doesn’t give anyone a veto over criticizing warmongering policies.
  3. Backing US interventions or the economic strangling of countries is morally wrong and often serves powerful, dangerous interests. People who advance those agendas should be opposed, not given special deference.

Weekend Update #176: Ukraine Is Showing Its Value, Particularly For Europe

Phillips’s Newsletter • 368 implied HN points • 15 Mar 26
🌍 World Politics Sanctions
  1. Ukraine has become a fast-growing military tech hub, producing cost-effective anti-drone systems, mid-range strike drones, and other innovations that can quickly help allies and should be central to Europe’s defense future.
  2. Recent U.S. moves—downplaying Russia’s role in arming Iran and easing oil sanctions—have effectively boosted Russian revenue and helped Moscow project power that endangers U.S. and allied forces.
  3. Hungary’s seizure of Ukrainian gold and its ties to Putin show that some European states are actively undermining Ukraine and European unity, underscoring the need for Europe to back Ukraine and fix its political structures.

The US Keeps Openly Admitting It Deliberately Caused The Iran Protests

Caitlin’s Newsletter • 1899 implied HN points • 06 Feb 26
🌍 World Politics Sanctions
  1. US officials have openly admitted to using sanctions and financial measures to create a dollar shortage and collapse Iran’s economy in order to spark mass protests.
  2. That approach is described as "economic statecraft" meant to pressure or topple the government without shooting, but it produces severe human suffering through inflation, shortages, and poverty.
  3. The same tactics and rhetoric have been applied or suggested toward other countries, and leaders have publicly encouraged protesters, indicating a broader pattern of using economic pressure to try to force regime change.

Chartbook 423 Some topical material on Venezuela. Hopefully useful.

Chartbook • 4334 implied HN points • 05 Jan 26
🌍 World Politics Sanctions
  1. Venezuela’s oil story has three phases: rapid growth under high rent extraction until the 1976 nationalisation, a 1990s–2000s recovery after the Apertura that drew big foreign investment, and a sharp collapse in the mid-2010s that sanctions and institutional decline worsened.
  2. The headline that Venezuela has the “largest oil reserves” is misleading because much of the booked volume is extra‑heavy Orinoco crude that is expensive and technically hard to produce; proved reserves shift with prices, technology, and institutional capacity.
  3. Opening to foreign investors brought large CAPEX but later policy re‑structuring triggered massive arbitration claims and litigation, so whoever governs Venezuela faces both valuable assets and large liabilities amid geopolitically driven interventions and sanctions.

Yesterday’s War

Doomberg • 5706 implied HN points • 11 Dec 25
🌍 World Politics Sanctions
  1. Attacks on tankers carrying Russian oil aim to cut Moscow’s war revenue, but they’re hard to enforce and provoke political and legal backlash from other countries.
  2. The strikes and sanctions have already driven up war‑risk insurance and shipping costs sharply, raising logistics bills for everyone and likely pushing global commodity prices higher.
  3. Fully blocking seaborne exports probably won’t crush Russia because producers can offset lost volume with higher prices and alternate routes, meaning the economic pain may fall on global consumers rather than on Moscow.

The US Is Pushing So Many Regime Change Agendas It's Hard To Keep Up

Caitlin’s Newsletter • 1862 implied HN points • 30 Jan 26
🌍 World Politics Sanctions
  1. The US is actively trying to force regime change in Cuba right now, using new executive orders and efforts to pressure or replace the government.
  2. Washington is using economic warfare—cutting off oil supplies and punishing countries that help Cuba—to make populations suffer and provoke unrest that could topple regimes.
  3. This approach repeats across many countries and reflects a broader strategy of imperial control that prioritizes geopolitical domination over other nations' sovereignty and civilian wellbeing.

Iran: We're Ending Taxpayer-Funded Appeasement

OpenTheBooks Substack • 263 implied HN points • 03 Mar 26
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Sanctions
  1. Taxpayer-funded policies sent large financial benefits to Iran that helped fund its proxies, and that practice must end.
  2. Foreign aid has been disjointed and sometimes funded wasteful or ideologically driven projects, so aid should be more strategic and focused on effective priorities.
  3. Any country receiving U.S. security or economic assistance should publish a real-time, searchable database of government spending so taxpayers can verify use and demand accountability.

The Suicidal Folly of a War with Iran

The Chris Hedges Report • 567 implied HN points • 20 Feb 26
🌍 World Politics Sanctions
  1. U.S. leaders are making unrealistic demands on Iran and sidelining experienced diplomats. This raises the risk that bluster and force will replace negotiation.
  2. Iran is unlikely to give up its nuclear or missile programs under those terms, and a military strike would likely provoke a swift, hard retaliation that could escalate quickly.
  3. A war would be catastrophic: many U.S. troops could die, the Strait of Hormuz could be shut, oil prices would spike, and the global economy and region would face long-term damage.

Hafiz; Ervand Abrahamian; Eskandar Sadeghi-Boroujerdi

Unpopular Front • 35 implied HN points • 08 Mar 26
🌍 World Politics Sanctions
  1. A classic poet casts spiritual and romantic struggle as a kind of holy war, urging tenderness and a questioning of rigid ideas about God.
  2. Sanctions have devastated Iran’s salaried middle class and driven many into deep poverty, creating widespread economic resentment, yet the regime still rests on a lower-middle-class base tied to the Revolutionary Guards and will likely fight to stay in power.
  3. Western focus on Iran’s missiles and proxies may overstate their practical threat, and calls for regime change ignore how deeply the IRGC is embedded; pressing too hard risks prolonged conflict or efforts to break the country apart like in other cases.

The Increasing Attacks on Francesca Albanese Presage a New Dark Age

The Chris Hedges Report • 511 implied HN points • 16 Feb 26
🌍 World Politics Sanctions
  1. Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories, has been hit by a coordinated campaign from the U.S., Israel and several European governments that includes public attacks, sanctions and measures that block her travel and access to banking.
  2. Those attacks use misleading clips and political pressure to silence criticism of Israel’s actions in Gaza and the West Bank, even as many governments continue supplying arms and contributing to a worsening humanitarian crisis.
  3. The trend reflects a worrying erosion of international law and free speech, where powerful states can punish critics and shield abuses, risking greater impunity and repression worldwide.

You Can't Cheer For Regime Change In Iran Without Also Cheering For The US Empire

Caitlin’s Newsletter • 1932 implied HN points • 11 Jan 26
🌍 World Politics Sanctions
  1. US and allied actions like crushing sanctions and covert meddling have been used to weaken Iran by hurting ordinary people, which fuels unrest and can function as engineered pressure for regime change.
  2. Backing regime change in Iran effectively helps the US-centered imperial project, so opposing state violence while cheering for regime change is inconsistent and ultimately strengthens a more powerful, abusive actor.
  3. What’s needed is to weaken that western imperial power rather than topple its enemies into the empire’s hands, because real freedom depends on dismantling centralized global domination, not expanding it.

American Apotheosis, Lustration, and Conciliatism: Part Three

Dr. Pippa's Pen & Podcast • 32 implied HN points • 17 Mar 26
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Sanctions
  1. The Epstein saga points to a sprawling, institutionalized machine of elites rather than a lone actor, with Epstein serving as a public face and operational node and that apparatus continues even if the individual is gone.
  2. The machine is shifting from physical honeytraps to digital leverage, where AI and data‑mining can automatically find private debts, health issues, or opinions to create permanent, invisible blackmail.
  3. States are pushing back with sanctions, choke‑point strategies, and AI‑driven cybersecurity, which could produce apotheosis, lustration, conciliation, or a prolonged struggle as agentic AI maps and contains these networks.

The Long Ukrainian Winter

Thinking about... • 513 implied HN points • 07 Feb 26
🌍 World Politics Sanctions
  1. Russia's full-scale invasion has entered its fifth winter and continues to target Ukraine's energy infrastructure and civilians, leaving millions without heat and causing daily deaths.
  2. Western governments have been too slow or uneven in cutting off Russian energy and delivering the air defenses and military aid Ukraine needs, forcing Europeans and NGOs to fill much of the gap.
  3. Individuals can help directly by donating to trusted Ukrainian and allied organizations and platforms that fund air defense, medical aid, vehicles, and rescue equipment to save lives.

The Real Tyrannical Regime

Caitlin’s Newsletter • 1788 implied HN points • 08 Jan 26
🌍 World Politics Sanctions
  1. The real tyrant is the power that invades other countries, topples governments, starves populations with sanctions, and surrounds the world with military bases, not the nations resisting them.
  2. Political talk about ‘tyrants’ is often hypocritical and shaped by PR — people cheer or condemn interventions depending on who benefits, and propaganda is being used to normalize military action across political bases.
  3. Normalizing quick, low-cost attacks risks repeating past escalations like the Gulf War leading to Iraq, making bigger wars more likely and encouraging more militarized repression at home.

The Suicidal Folly of a War with Iran [VIDEO]

The Chris Hedges Report • 178 implied HN points • 24 Feb 26
🌍 World Politics Sanctions
  1. A U.S. attack on Iran would be a catastrophic mistake driven by incompetent leadership and could spark a wider, prolonged regional war.
  2. Demanding that Iran dismantle its nuclear and missile programs in exchange for no new sanctions is unrealistic and won’t convince Tehran to disarm.
  3. Iran’s size, alliances, and ability to close the Strait of Hormuz and strike regional targets mean such a war would cause heavy casualties, soaring oil prices, and major global economic damage.

March 13, 2026

Letters from an American • 30 implied HN points • 14 Mar 26
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Sanctions
  1. The administration temporarily lifted sanctions on Russian oil to try to ease soaring oil prices, a move that critics say directly benefits Russia and drew pushback from G7 allies.
  2. The U.S. military campaign against Iran is expanding without a clear political goal and has mixed messaging from leaders. That approach risks wider disruption, including closure of the Strait of Hormuz and increasing civilian casualties.
  3. Key decisions show poor preparation and weakened oversight: negotiators lacked technical expertise, offices that limited civilian harm were slashed, and internal dissent and aggressive rhetoric are raising legal and ethical concerns about how the war is being run.

Crescendo

Doomberg • 8493 implied HN points • 04 Aug 25
🌍 World Politics Sanctions
  1. Putin switched from US Treasuries to gold as a way to challenge Western financial control. This change was significant because it suggested he could sell oil for gold instead of dollars.
  2. The BRICS group, formed by Russia, China, and others, aims to help developing countries gain economic independence from Western powers. This reflects a broader fight over global economic freedom.
  3. The current geopolitical situation is escalating towards a major conflict, with both military and economic tensions rising. The decisions leaders make now could dramatically shape the future of international relations.

World's Most Tyrannical Government Wants To Free Venezuela From Tyranny

Caitlin’s Newsletter • 2132 implied HN points • 03 Dec 25
🌍 World Politics Sanctions
  1. The United States talks about "liberating" other countries while repeatedly using military force, coups, sanctions, and global bases to impose its will, which makes its claims hypocritical.
  2. The US government is considering military regime-change action in Venezuela even though a clear majority of Americans oppose such intervention.
  3. If the US truly wanted to reduce global tyranny it should stop its imperial practices or dismantle its empire, because it has no moral standing to claim it can "liberate" other nations.

Paint By Number

Doomberg • 7300 implied HN points • 25 Jul 25
🌍 World Politics Sanctions
  1. The EU imposed a new sanctions package against Russia, but previous sanctions have had little effect on Russia's economy.
  2. Russia is now producing its own drones at a rapid pace, increasing its military capabilities significantly.
  3. Energy resources play a crucial role in a country's military strength, and the EU's energy situation is getting worse.

Five(ish) charts that give some context to Venezuelan oil

Sustainability by numbers • 987 implied HN points • 05 Jan 26
🌍 World Politics Sanctions
  1. Venezuela holds the world’s largest proved oil reserves, but much of that is heavy or extra-heavy oil in the Orinoco Belt and the proved total depends on optimistic economic and technical assumptions.
  2. Despite huge reserves, Venezuela produces very little today after years of underinvestment, mismanagement and sanctions, so its reserves-to-production ratio is extremely high and output is far below past peaks.
  3. U.S. refineries still rely on heavy crude that the U.S. doesn’t produce much of, so Venezuela’s heavy oil is strategically valuable even if it isn’t currently being fully exploited.

Trump Moves Closer To War With Venezuela, And Other Notes

Caitlin’s Newsletter • 1322 implied HN points • 18 Dec 25
🌍 World Politics Sanctions
  1. Trump is escalating toward open confrontation with Venezuela by ordering a total blockade and targeting oil tankers, which risks direct military clashes.
  2. The administration has labeled fentanyl a “weapon of mass destruction” and accused Venezuela despite evidence the country doesn’t produce it, repeating the tactic of using dubious pretexts for intervention.
  3. U.S. foreign policy and much of the media treat unilateral sanctions and regime‑change rhetoric as acceptable, empowering warmongers and crowding out peaceful options like neutrality.

Transparency International accepted $1.3 million from Trump's Pentagon and narc-diplomacy agency, including for 'sponsored research'

All-Source Intelligence Fusion • 956 implied HN points • 28 Dec 25
🌍 World Politics Sanctions
  1. Transparency International’s UK and Brazil branches received about $1.3 million in September from U.S. agencies, including a $580,000 DSCA "sponsored research" grant to TI UK and an $800,000 INL grant to TI Brazil to combat illegal gold trafficking in the Amazon.
  2. Transparency International and partner organizations like OCCRP have recurring funding and program links with U.S. security agencies and defense-linked contractors, and they collaborate on initiatives that support enforcement of U.S. sanctions and related policy actions.
  3. Several TI branches have accepted funding from military, intelligence-linked, or corporate actors and have not always fully disclosed those ties, which raises concerns about conflicts of interest and the organisation’s independence.

Kontigo: Y Combinator's Venezuelan Sanctions Evasion Startup

Fintech Business Weekly • 557 implied HN points • 11 Jan 26
🔮 Crypto Sanctions
  1. Kontigo, a Y Combinator–backed startup, has been linked to efforts to help Venezuela’s Maduro regime evade sanctions.
  2. JPMorgan served as a fiat on‑ramp for users of that crypto company, showing how major banks can connect traditional finance to sanctioned actors.
  3. The episode highlights broader risks in the startup and stablecoin ecosystem, revealing compliance gaps and venture capital ties that can enable financial crime.

Francesca Albanese and the Lonely Road of Defiance

The Chris Hedges Report • 720 implied HN points • 30 Dec 25
🌍 World Politics Sanctions
  1. Francesca Albanese, the U.N. special rapporteur, has documented corporate and state complicity in Israel’s occupation and argues the violence in Gaza amounts to genocide.
  2. Her reporting has provoked heavy reprisals—sanctions, asset freezes, travel bans, and institutional cutoffs—that isolate her and illustrate how political power can silence human rights scrutiny.
  3. Despite the attacks, she continues to gather testimonies about torture and urges civil disobedience, strikes, and international solidarity as ways to resist the occupation and rising repression.

After Attacking Iran, The World Must Boycott, Divest, & Sanction The United States of America

JoeWrote • 80 implied HN points • 03 Mar 26
🌍 World Politics Sanctions
  1. The U.S. government is accused of running an aggressive, lawless foreign policy that kills civilians and destabilizes regions, with media and elite institutions enabling those actions.
  2. Domestic repression is rising too, with state violence, detention practices, and a failure to hold powerful actors accountable eroding civil liberties at home.
  3. The proposed remedy is international pressure—boycotts, divestment from U.S. financial instruments, and targeted sanctions—until the U.S. accepts international legal accountability and changes its behavior.

Weekend Update #171: The Week Trump Helped Putin Commit Two War Crimes

Phillips’s Newsletter • 253 implied HN points • 08 Feb 26
🌍 World Politics Sanctions
  1. Trump’s public claims about a humanitarian pause helped mask a Russian buildup that enabled two coordinated mass attacks that severely damaged Ukrainian power and heating infrastructure.
  2. The U.S. and Russia look to be negotiating big economic deals without Ukraine’s input, so Europe must demand a seat at the table to avoid being sidelined in decisions about Ukraine’s future.
  3. The claim that India agreed to stop buying Russian oil is false and the joint statements only show vague intentions, so press reports presenting it as a firm pledge were misleading.

The Iran War: Our Complete Coverage

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 37 implied HN points • 06 Mar 26
🌐 International Sanctions
  1. The Iran war is a fast-moving, world-shaping crisis that the United States is deeply involved in and that divides political opinion at home and abroad.
  2. The conflict’s outcome is unclear—experts debate regime change, who will lead Iran next, and whether groups like the Kurds will shape the country’s future.
  3. The war has big practical consequences: it threatens energy supplies and trade routes, raises the risk of wider regional or global escalation, and sparks legal and humanitarian debates.

Weekend Update #170: Russian Advances Are Slower Than The Battle Of The Somme

Phillips’s Newsletter • 274 implied HN points • 01 Feb 26
🌍 World Politics Sanctions
  1. Russia is suffering extremely high casualties while gaining very little territory, so its offensive is grinding forward at a slow and costly pace.
  2. Russia’s economy and technological base are weak and losing steam, making it hard for Moscow to sustain a successful long-term war effort.
  3. The U.S. president’s public closeness to Putin and optimistic portrayal of talks is giving Russia political cover, undermining tougher action and feeding Ukrainian mistrust.

The Iranian Blood on Trump's (and Biden's) Hands

Nonzero Newsletter • 395 implied HN points • 17 Jan 26
🌍 World Politics Sanctions
  1. Trump’s 2018 withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal and the harsh sanctions that followed, combined with Biden’s limited reversals, helped strengthen Iranian hardliners, deepen economic suffering, and contributed to deadly repression of protesters.
  2. Economic sanctions tend to backfire: they hurt ordinary people, fuel corruption and black markets, empower military elites like the Revolutionary Guards, and are both morally troubling and strategically counterproductive as a tool to induce regime change.
  3. Recent domestic events show political and media fallout—Trump’s vocal defense of the Renee Good shooting has lowered his approval ratings, and leadership changes at major outlets (e.g., Bari Weiss and potential Ellison influence) could shift how news organizations cover conflicts like Iran.

Fab Whack-A-Mole: Chinese Companies are Evading U.S. Sanctions

SemiAnalysis • 10102 implied HN points • 28 Oct 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Sanctions
  1. Chinese companies, particularly Huawei, are successfully finding loopholes to avoid U.S. export controls on advanced semiconductor technology. This allows them to enhance their domestic chip production capabilities.
  2. The current U.S. sanctions have not significantly harmed Western wafer fabrication equipment suppliers; in fact, these companies have been thriving during the period of restrictions.
  3. Future U.S. export controls need to be stricter and updated regularly to effectively combat the evasion strategies used by Chinese firms, ensuring that national security interests are maintained.