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Could Sanctions Stop Iran?

(Washington Post) Carne Ross - Now that the U.S. and its allies are considering sanctions on Iran, the experience of sanctions imposed on Iraq, which I helped engineer and maintain as a British diplomat at the Security Council, offers some lessons. First, no sanctions regime is effective unless its objective is widely shared, especially by the neighbors of the targeted state. There was considerable evasion of the sanctions by Iraq's neighbors. Second, oil sanctions are a double-edged sword and could cause damaging spikes in global oil prices. Third, thanks to the control over food rationing that the oil-for-food program placed in the regime's hands, they arguably helped reinforce Hussein's rule. This mistake must not be repeated. Fourth, any sanctions regime requires a long-term, patient, and detailed effort to succeed. Although there was lots of rhetoric, sanctions enforcement on Iraq was sporadic, as the U.S. and its allies allowed Iraq's neighbors, particularly Jordan and Turkey, to import oil illegally.
2006-03-31 00:00:00
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