The United States has used the tool of sanctions to protest the arrest warrants issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and others. The U.S. act has attracted widespread criticism from global public opinion. According to a poll launched by CGTN for netizens worldwide, 90.1 percent of the respondents believe that U.S. sanctions have no legitimacy, and criticized it for having no respect for international organizations and order.

This is not the first time the United States has attempted to impose sanctions on the ICC. In 2020, then-President Donald Trump issued an executive order announcing that the U.S. would impose sanctions on ICC officials for their involvement in investigating U.S. conduct in the Afghanistan war. The poll found that 85.2 percent of global respondents believe that the United States' abusive sanctions against other countries and international organizations have seriously undermined the multilateralist international order with the UN at its core.

Since 1950, the United States has led the world in the use of sanctions. Data released by the U.S. Treasury Department last year showed that the U.S. sanctioned more than 20 countries. In the survey, 78.9 percent of the respondents were shocked by this data and considered the U.S. to be the only "sanctioning superpower" in the world. However, American sanctions are not authorized by any international organization or international law. The U.S. is placing its domestic law above international law. 

Of the respondents, 86.1 percent pointed out that unilateral sanctions have become a tool for the United States to maintain global hegemony, suppress competitors, interfere in the internal affairs of other countries, and even subvert their regimes. An internet user said in response, "Some countries are used to imposing sanctions on other countries. They think they own the truth and treat themselves as if they were judge and jury."

Meanwhile, the economies of the sanctioned countries are suffering from stagnation and hardship. The survey found that 93 percent of respondents were deeply concerned about the serious humanitarian crisis caused by American sanctions. One netizen stated, "The abuse of sanctions is a robbery and harm to the people."

The poll was released on CGTN's English, Spanish, French, Arabic and Russian platforms, with over 15,000 people voting within 24 hours.