04 February 2025
Law, Coercion, and State Crime
On January 26, 2025, President Donald J. Trump announced via Truth Social retaliatory measures against Colombia following President Gustavo Petro’s refusal to allow US deportation flights. These included a 25% emergency tariff on Colombian imports, escalating to 50% within a week. The Trump administration’s use of unilateral economic sanctions on countries opposing US policies is part of a long history of imperial interventions. Sanctions are central to the colonial arsenal of economic statecraft, disproportionately targeting the Global South. I argue that sanctions should be recognized as a form of state crime due to their socially injurious effects. Continue reading >>
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