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Sanctions as a War on Identity: How Economic Pressure Targets the Soul of Global South Resistance
*Originally published on: South Africa Today
In recent years, economic sanctions have evolved from tools of geopolitical pressure into instruments of civilizational warfare.
For countries like Iran, Venezuela, and Palestine, sanctions no longer simply aim to change policies—they seek to erode identity, fracture social cohesion, and weaken the philosophical foundations of resistance.Sanctions are often discussed in economic or legal terms, yet their psychological and civilizational dimensions are less explored.
For countries resisting Western dominance, sanctions act not just as external pressure but as internal corrosion. They disrupt everyday life, target public morale, and isolate nations from the global narrative. In Iran, sanctions have hindered access to essential medicine, broken financial networks, and fueled a perception of being unjustly punished for asserting national sovereignty. In Palestine, restrictions and financial blockades have become tools to crush social resilience. In Venezuela, the blockade of oil and trade infrastructure has created
humanitarian crises that erode the legitimacy of alternative governance models.Iran’s resistance economy has developed not as a policy preference, but as a necessity to endure a war on survival. Sanctions have targeted everything from cancer drugs to banking systems, directly impacting civilians. Yet, this economic siege has also nurtured a stronger
intellectual discourse about independence, indigenous development, and civilizational dignity. Venezuela, too, has faced suffocating sanctions primarily targeting oil, medicine, and food systems. While the media narrative often blames domestic mismanagement, the economic
war waged externally is undeniable. Sanctions intend to discredit and dismantle any model that refuses U.S. alignment. In Palestine, the sanctions and financial restrictions imposed on various factions are part of a broader architecture of occupation. Even international aid
is subjected to political filtration, punishing the very notion of autonomous Palestinian governance.As Western-led unipolarity faces resistance, sanctions have become a tool to delay the inevitable shift toward a multipolar world.
They function as ideological barricades, aiming to preserve the dominance of liberal market systems and Western cultural hegemony.
But they are increasingly failing. The emergence of alternative alliances—BRICS, South-South cooperation, and localized economic pacts—signals a philosophical realignment. The resistance of Iran, Venezuela, and Palestine is not isolated; it is emblematic of a global
reawakening that seeks to restore dignity to post-colonial identities. Sanctions, in this context, are desperate measures to suppress that awakening. Yet, their overuse and visible human toll have weakened their moral justification, even among Western populations.Sanctions are no longer simply economic instruments—they are civilizational weapons. Their purpose is to delegitimize resistance, erase alternative values, and force alignment with a decaying hegemonic order. But the people of Iran, Venezuela, and Palestine show
that resilience, when rooted in identity and justice, can outlast siege. This resistance is not merely national; it is civilizational.It redefines the battlefield from borders and economies to memory, morality, and the future of global order. This is not just a political fight. It is a struggle for the soul.
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The Global Symbolism of Palestinian Resistance: A New Geopolitical Paradigm
Photo By:Blacksmith
Original article in Taqadoom
The Global Symbolism of Palestinian Resistance: A New Geopolitical Paradigm
Palestinian resistance is no longer merely a regional issue—it has become a global symbol of dignity in the face of colonialism and imperial hegemony.
The historical backdrop plays a crucial role in shaping the current situation of genocide and attempted erasure of memory, countered by Palestinian grassroots resistance and global protests aimed at halting it. This context spans centuries of capitalism and violence perpetrated by Anglo-Saxon and Western colonial forces, as well as the Israeli military.
One way to interpret the 20th and 21st centuries is through the emergence of African and Asian national liberation movements amidst ongoing colonial projects, particularly during the Great European War (1914–1945). The 1950s and 1960s witnessed a revolution in global energy systems.
Oil became the dominant fossil fuel, surpassing coal and other sources. Known as “black gold,” it propelled post-war capitalism due to its energy density, chemical flexibility, and ease of transport, fueling technological and industrial development. These energy shifts, alongside the rise of U.S. power, shifted the geopolitical center toward Afro-Eurasia.
Simultaneously, colonial powers declined, and new or emerging organizations were created to push major decolonization efforts in Asia and Africa during the latter half of the 20th century—amid rivalry between socialist and capitalist blocs, and efforts by non-aligned nations like at the Bandung Conference (1955).
Global transformations continued through revolutions, uprisings, and the emergence of new states during the Cold War. Some aligned with the Soviet Union, others with the U.S., Britain, or France, each undergoing unique paths of decolonization.
Critical historical moments challenge Eurocentric narratives when viewed from other geographies: the Berlin Conference (1884), 1960s decolonization waves, India’s independence (1947), the Chinese Revolution (1949), and the Russian Revolution (1917). These events helped shape the modern century.
The 1949 Chinese Revolution paved the way for 21st-century transformations, followed by the Korean War (1950–1953) and Vietnam’s resistance wars (1960–1975). In Latin America, revolutions such as Mexico’s (1910–1917) and Cuba’s (1959) fundamentally altered national trajectories and global consciousness.
These cultural and civilizational specificities reject oversimplified narratives like the “clash of civilizations” or Francis Fukuyama’s “end of history.”
From a Global South perspective, where major decolonization took place, Cold War binaries don’t apply. These were not “underdeveloped” nations but societies with deep Afro-Asian historical legacies beyond Western nation-state models.
The expulsion and persecution of Palestinians awaken historical traumas from transatlantic slavery and colonial genocide. The goal is to erase a people and their land in service of imperial interests—especially those led by the U.S.—via control over oil, gas, and Gaza’s coastline.
For decades, directed media narratives have placed Palestinians and Arabs at the center of a “clash of civilizations,” branding them as “terrorists” under the guise of the “War on Terror,” thereby stripping their resistance of political legitimacy.
Hamas, as a political, social, and armed movement with Islamic roots, represents resistance against colonial occupation. Many of its leaders are descendants of refugees expelled in 1948 and assassinated by Israel.
This crisis cannot be understood without analyzing U.S. support for Israel. Since 2013–2014, and especially after February 2022, U.S. power has relatively declined, particularly in Eurasia.
Conflicts like the war in Ukraine intersect with Israeli escalations in Syria, Yemen, and Iran. The Middle East conflict is tied to global trade routes and regional power rivalries among Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Iran. The BRICS+ alliance (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, plus Egypt, Iran, Ethiopia, UAE, Indonesia) plays a growing role, especially South Africa.
Today, Palestinian resistance stands as a global symbol of dignity. Gaza, the open-air prison, represents the moral and political core of Global South struggles—where modern crises converge: neoliberal disintegration, military imperialism, structural racism, and ecological collapse.
Images from Gaza—destroyed hospitals, maimed children, devastated neighborhoods—reveal not only war crimes but also the hypocrisy of the global liberal order. The UN, EU, and Western media have failed to stop the killing machine.
In contrast, a new internationalist current is rising from below, linking Palestine to broader struggles across Asia, Africa, and Latin America.
The “Axis of Resistance,” though not a formal alliance like NATO, plays a key role in Palestine. Comprised of nations and movements across West Asia, Africa, and the Global South, it’s united not by bureaucracy, but by shared histories of resistance: Vietnam, Algeria, Cuba, Iran, Yemen—all resisted Western domination.
Despite attempts to dismantle it—like the war in Syria, Qassem Soleimani’s assassination (2020), or targeting leaders like Haniyeh (2024), Nasrallah, and Sinwar—resistance endures due to its grassroots, decentralized nature. Yemen’s Ansar Allah is a prime example of an actor capable of challenging Israel militarily, viewed as an imperial outpost in Afro-Eurasia.
This resistance axis doesn’t aim merely to defend land—it seeks to thwart the U.S.-Israeli project of “managed chaos,” aimed at dividing the region and reinforcing foreign military presence. In this scheme, Palestine is not just a victim—it is the strategic fault line preventing full execution. Yet, the latest escalations in Gaza, Lebanon, and Syria pose severe challenges.
Latin America also plays a critical role. Governments like Javier Milei’s in Argentina, beholden to Israel’s agenda, show contempt for international law and attack critical culture—demonstrating that Palestine’s struggle also unfolds in Buenos Aires, Lima, and Bogotá. Defending Palestine means defending our universities, unions, and social rights.
Thus, it is essential to build bridges between our resistances. The streets of Caracas, the neighborhoods of São Paulo, the classrooms of Havana, and indigenous movements in Bolivia—all morally and politically align with Gaza. This new internationalism is not proclaimed at summits, but forged through solidarity, political education, decolonial thought, and cultural rebellion.
Palestine is not alone. Nor are we. Taking a stand today is not merely a moral act—it is a global political stance.
Gaza challenges us, for it is where the future of the world is being drawn: a future of technological barbarism and racial supremacy, or one rooted in dignity, justice, and self-determination.
In the early days of Israel’s unprecedented attacks on Gaza, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei stated in October 2023: “Israel’s claim to victimhood is one of the biggest lies of this century.”
That phrase redirected the media storm surrounding the “Al-Aqsa Flood” and awakened dormant consciences.
Today, Israel’s fabricated victimhood lies buried beneath the rubble of martyred children, grieving mothers, and destroyed hospitals.
In the face of this historic injustice, voices from across the world—from Tehran and Beirut to Baghdad, from Johannesburg to Buenos Aires, from Havana to Amsterdam—resound with one cry: No to genocide.
Today, every person who believes in justice—regardless of faith, belief, or nationality—stands with the Palestinian people.
This cross-cultural unity proves that resistance is not merely a political option, but an ethical response to the civilizational decline of our era.
Israel’s actions contradict the teachings of true Judaism and the moral foundations of liberalism. Authentic Judaism celebrates justice, compassion, and the sanctity of life. It justifies neither the killing of children nor the siege of hospitals. Modern moral philosophy—especially Immanuel Kant’s—asserts that humans must never be treated as mere means, but as ends in themselves.
Kant wrote: “Human beings must always be treated as ends in themselves, never merely as means to an end.”
What we witness in Gaza is the use of human beings as tools for political and racial extortion.
John Locke, the founding father of political liberalism, emphasized three natural rights: “life, liberty, and property.” Rights denied not just to Palestinians, but to all humanity by Israel.
To Tel Aviv’s leaders, we ask: By what principle, philosophy, or conscience do you continue these massacres?
You reject UN resolutions, ignore ICJ rulings, and disdain global public opinion.
Today, Israel doesn’t just violate human rights—it embodies a moral breakdown in the international order.
Co-authors
• Martin Martinelli: PhD in Social Sciences, Professor of History at Universidad Nacional del Litoral, Argentina.
• Peiman Salehi: Iranian political philosopher & international affairs analyst -
How Did Civilizational Resistance Rise?
By Peiman Salehi
Original article on Al Mayadeen (Arabic) Source: Russian platform “Geopolitika” | Published
Photo: Al Mayadeen
The Moral Collapse of Liberalism Is a Civilizational Turning Point
The moral collapse of liberalism is not merely a political shift—it marks a civilizational turning point. As Western hegemony retreats, a historic opportunity emerges: to build a world rooted in justice, diversity, and spiritual depth.
Once considered the final form of political evolution, liberalism—which promised liberty, dignity, and prosperity for all—has morphed into a tool of domination. It wages wars in the name of peace, imposes sanctions that strangle populations, and exports cultural nihilism under the guise of “universal values.”
The betrayal is profound: the very civilization that claimed to defend human dignity now tramples it to preserve global dominance.
The Ethical Bankruptcy of Liberalism
The contradictions of liberalism are exposed across the globe. Under banners like “human rights” and “freedom,” liberal powers have waged devastating wars: Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya. Sanctions against Iran, Venezuela, and Syria have inflicted unbearable suffering on civilians. Far from securing peace, liberalism has institutionalized coercion.
Internally, liberal democracies suffer from erosion. Inequality has reached historic extremes, public trust in institutions is collapsing, and surveillance states are rising. Censorship masked as fighting “disinformation” and growing social disintegration reveal a system unable to fulfill its own promises.
Philosophically, liberal universalism has been unmasked as Western particularism. Institutions like the UN, IMF, and World Bank do not serve humanity—they advance the interests of the Atlantic oligarchy. Their loan conditions and austerity mandates have only deepened poverty and dependency in the Global South.
The Rise of Civilizational Resistance
In contrast, a new wave of civilizational resistance is rising—not based on narrow nationalism, but on alternative visions of being, knowing, and organizing societies.
• Iran promotes an Islamic model of governance rooted in spiritual sovereignty.
• Russia reclaims its Orthodox and Eurasian identity.
• China integrates Confucian socialism, blending tradition with modernization beyond Western paradigms.
• Latin America revives Bolívarian solidarity.
• Africa slowly reconnects with its indigenous wisdom traditions.This resistance is not a retreat into isolation—it is an assertion of multipolarity and the right of different cultures to define modernity on their own terms.
Toward a Multipolar World
The unipolar era is over. The emerging world order is inherently multipolar, shaped by diverse civilizations. Where liberalism sought homogenization, the future belongs to plurality.
Strategic partnerships—like those among Iran, Russia, and China—BRICS expansion, and increasing Global South cooperation show that resistance is not just defensive. It is a creative endeavor to build an alternative world system based on respect rather than domination.
These civilizations, rooted in rich cultural and spiritual traditions, possess a resilience that consumerist liberal modernity lacks. Meanwhile, the West suffers from demographic decline, ethical exhaustion, and strategic overreach—and cannot reverse the tide. The center can no longer hold.
The Fall of Empire, the Rise of Civilizations
The moral collapse of liberalism is more than a political crisis—it’s a civilizational failure. As Western hegemony crumbles, there is a chance to construct a world that honors justice, diversity, and spiritual meaning.
Civilizational resistance is not born of hate—it stems from love: for tradition, for identity, and for a future in which the human being is more than a mere economic unit, but a dignified being with transcendent worth.
In this new era, the empire fades—and civilizations dawn.
In the dawn of the Age of Civilizations, intercultural dialogue must replace the monologue of a decaying order.
Peiman Salehi – Political Analyst & Writer 