The Marinera was not subject to international sanctions, but rather the target of unilateral measures extra-territorially imposed by the United States.
In the months and years to come, instances of such geopolitical importance as that of the Marinera will become far more frequent. After all, as one RAF vice-marshal observed in 1989, “Scotland is very much the forward base in the UK for maritime operations as we perceive them, with NATO’s forward strategy of prosecuting any war which might occur in the Norwegian Sea.” If the apathy which characterised the Scottish ruling classes’ response to the Marenera is allowed to prevail, then so too will Scotland’s apparent submission. The consequent challenge for the anti-war movement is to engage the public on the questions their politicians evade; to pose, and popularise, an alternative vision rooted in the principles of democracy and popular sovereignty.