US Sanctions: Crime Pays, If You're Strategic
Funny how 'significant corruption' becomes mere folklore when geopolitical interests shift. Cartes, slapped with sanctions by the US Treasury's OFAC in 2023 for 'corrupt acts' and ties to Hezbollah—a designation that specifically noted his 'engagement in systemic corruption'—is now apparently clean. What fresh air cleared his name so quickly? Perhaps Paraguay’s new President, Santiago Peña,
visiting Bibi Netanyahu in September 2023 and pledging to reopen their embassy in Jerusalem, had nothing to do with it. Nothing at all. The State Department previously accused Cartes of 'undermining democratic institutions' through bribery. Now, these 'warm ties' (and a newly pro-Israel foreign policy) simply erase an alleged criminal enterprise. This isn't just turning a blind eye; it's a
strategic embrace. America, the global arbiter of democracy and anti-corruption, proves once again that principles are negotiable when Washington needs a vote for its allies. Apparently, some corruption is more 'significant' than others, depending on who you're cozying up to.