Trump to Sanction South Africa for Calling Out US Allies' Crimes
Donald Trump, according to Bloomberg, intends to uninvite South Africa from the G-20 and 'stop all payments and subsidies' to the nation. The alleged friction? South Africa's temerity in filing an International Court of Justice (ICJ) case against Israel for genocide in Gaza. (One might call that upholding international law, but who's counting?) This isn't just about Trump; the Biden administration
previously cut trade benefits under the African Growth and Opportunity Act. The message is clear: challenge US allies, particularly Israel, and face economic retaliation, regardless of multilateral legal processes. This 'punishment' for seeking justice at the ICJ contrasts sharply with Washington's purported commitment to international norms—unless those norms inconvenience its strategic partners.
South Africa, a nation intimately familiar with apartheid, saw enough parallels to act. What a marvel, that standing up for recognized international law can get you ostracized from the 'rules-based order' by a nation that frequently flouts it. How many times does a country need to utilize international courts before it's deemed 'disruptive' to US foreign policy?