Source : Presstv / 17 Jun 2014

James Fetzer, a philosopher of science, says the sanctions imposed by the United States against Russia are aimed at distracting the American people from their problems at home.

“It seems to be intended to distract the American public, especially from the real problems here at home,” Fetzer said Sunday about the sanctions.

He said the call by a US senator for further sanctions against Moscow is based on a “dubious” belief.

Hawkish Senator Bob Corker called on President Barack Obama to expand Russian sanctions in response to Moscow’s alleged shipment of tanks and rocket launchers to anti-Kiev protesters in neighboring Ukraine.

“The demand for increased sanctions is coming based upon the belief that Russia has sent tanks into Ukraine, but the tanks involved here are Cold War relics no longer used by Russia,” Fetzer noted.

“This is dubious to begin with – not only that but the idea of imposing more sanctions is a very bad one. Surely the United States has to be more responsible in attempting to negotiate with Russia about Ukraine,” he noted.

On Friday, the US State Department accused Russia of dispatching T-64 tanks and BM-21 multiple rocket launchers to Ukraine, calling the move “unacceptable.”

Fetzer noted that Russia already responded to US sanctions “by taking Gazprom, the biggest gas company in the world, off of the petrodollar so that it will now trade in euros. This is a very significant development and, of course, is preceded by the fact that [former Iraqi dictator] Saddam Hussein took Iraq off the petrodollar, that Muammar Ghadafi took Libya off the petrodollar, that Iran would abandon the petrodollar. These are not looking good for the United States,” he stated.