It’s Christmastime and everybody is shopping for presents, but not the US, which has already given out its very special gift – sanctions – to those who it happens to dislike for the ‘crime’ of pursing an independent policy.

Iran, Cuba, Venezuela, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Germany– the list of countries who have been punished or threatened to be punished by the US for their "misbehavior" is longer than Santa’s naughty list. But what have all these done to earn a lump of coal from the US? They have been doing business with China or Russia behind Washington's back, or dare to have their own policy. A heinous crime indeed!

Watch as RT America’s Faran Fronczak offer her “Faran Balanced” approach on how it all came about and whether the sanctions actually work (spoiler: they do not).

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