The [[SWIFT]] network is a [[Brussels]]-based global clearing office for communications between 12,000 [[bank]]s worldwide in which they advise one another about incoming transfers. It is an essential building block in international trade, and was abused by the United States, who pressured the independent managers of SWIFT to conform to [[economic sanctions]] imposed on certain countries not abiding by the so-called "[[rules based order]]" dictated by the [[U.S. State Department]] from [[Washington, D.C.]]. The "rules based order", also known as the [[Liberal world order]], by-passes the historically recognized framework of the [[United Nations]] under [[international law]] as having sole authority to impose [[multilateral]] economic sanctions. | The [[SWIFT]] network is a [[Brussels]]-based global clearing office for communications between 12,000 [[bank]]s worldwide in which they advise one another about incoming transfers. It is an essential building block in international trade, and was abused by the United States, who pressured the independent managers of SWIFT to conform to [[economic sanctions]] imposed on certain countries not abiding by the so-called "[[rules based order]]" dictated by the [[U.S. State Department]] from [[Washington, D.C.]]. The "rules based order", also known as the [[Liberal world order]], by-passes the historically recognized framework of the [[United Nations]] under [[international law]] as having sole authority to impose [[multilateral]] economic sanctions. |