US Seizes Tanker in Caribbean: 'Freedom of Navigation' for Some
Newsweek reports proudly on SOUTHCOM's seizure of a tanker in the Caribbean Sea, emphasizing the vessel was 'sanctioned.' This narrative frames the US as a global enforcer of international law. Yet, this same 'freedom of navigation' principle seems to evaporate when it comes to aid ships attempting to break the naval blockade on Gaza, where the US government continues to supply arms to the
blockading force, the Israeli Navy, which illegally boarded and killed activists in international waters in 2010 . One might wonder if 'sanctioned' status is only for those who inconvenience US geopolitical aims, while those who enforce blockades resulting in systematic deprivation, a potential war crime, get a pass. Apparently, the rules-based international order is quite flexible, depending on
whose oil is flowing and whose civilians are starving.