"Christmas
Comes to Cuba"
December 19, 1997 The New York Times, Robert A. Sirico
"In anticipation of Pope John Paul II's visit next month, Fidel Castro
will permit Christmas to be celebrated in Cuba for the first time in
three decades. This symbolic gesture may foretell an eventual Cuban
liberalization, not only in the practice of faith but also in the area
of political and economic rights, which the Pope considers integral
to the church's social teaching."
"Commentary: To Hurt The Mullahs,
End Sanctions"
December 15, 1997 Business Week, John Rossant
"Instead of tightening sanctions, Washington should consider removing
them. That would damage the religious conservatives who hold most
of the power, while aiding Iranians who want closer ties to the West."
"Why sanctions don't work"
December 1, 1997 Financial Times, Willard Berry
"Many economists, policymakers and pundits have observed that popular
sentiment in the US has turned against free trade and investment,
in spite of the apparent inevitability of a more globalised world
economy."
"Sanctionmania"
December/January 1998 Worth, Jim Rogers, The Other Side
"Ineffectual, warlike, expensive, masochistic, shortsighted, two-faced,
hypocritical, dangerous, and just plain dumb. These are all adjectives
that could be accurately applied to U.S. trade policy - especially
when it comes to the sanctions that we now seem willing to deploy
against our neighbors at the drop of a hat."
"Free Trade is a Human Right,
Too"
December 1997 Planet Politics, Eldon Griffiths
"Before imposing sanctions on its foreign trade partners, the U.S.
should weigh the effects on its own people. Sanctions that hurt U.S.
workers more than they hurt the governments they're aimed at are no
less an abridgment of basic American rights than the restrictions
on civil liberty imposed by overseas despots. "
"Sanctioning
Madness"
November/December 1997 Foreign Affairs, Richard N. Haass, Commentary
"Economic sanctions are fast becoming the United States' policy tool
of choice. A 1997 study by the National Association of Manufacturers
listed 35 countries targeted by new American sanctions from 1993 to
1996 alone. What is noteworthy, however, is not just the frequency
with which sanctions are used but their centrality; economic sanctions
are increasingly at the core of U.S. foreign policy."
"Congress Should Take Another
Look At Use Of Economic Sanctions"
30 November 1997, Athens Banner-Herald, Editorial
"Like a kid with a new toy, politicians in Washington increasingly
are turning to the use of economic sanctions as the weapon of choice
in foreign policy duels."
"Getting a Grip on Trade Sanctions"
17 November 1997, Business Week, Paul Magnusson, Commentary
"When Congress returns next year, the ''Enhancement of Trade, Security
and Human Rights through Sanctions Reform Bill'' will be ready for
consideration. Lawmakers shouldn't waste any time in passing it."
"The Healthy Way to Engage"
10 November 1997, The Washington Times, Richard N. Haass, Commentary
"Jiang Zemin's visit to the United States, and the just completed
U.S.-China summit, mark an important transition. A new era in Sino-American
relations has now begun."
"Economic Sanctions for Judicious
Use Only"
10 November 1997, The Virginian-Pilot and The Ledger-Star, Editorial
"Unilateral Trade Boucotts Rarely Achieve Their Purposes but Injure
Businesses, Workers and the U.S. Economy."
"TRADE SANCTIONS: Who Really
Gets Hurt"
6 November 1997, The Herald-Sun, Editorial
"One of Congress' favorite feel-good ruses involves unilateral economic
sanctions against foreign regimes that run afoul of U.S. sensibilities."
"U.S. Trade Sanctions Miss
Iran, Hit San Diego"
3 November 1997, San Diego Daily Transcript, Shahriar Afshar
"When the U.S. government imposes unilateral trade sanctions against
a foreign government, it deprives among many others, San Diego companies
of their global vision."
"The U.S. Congress and Unilateral
Trade Sanctions"
November 1997, www.DCpages.com, Shahriar Afshar
"We have reached a point where no one in academia, the think-tank
community, or the business world disputes the fact that U.S. unilateral
trade sanctions hurt us at home and undermine our global reach and
credibility in the international trade arena."
"Squandered Power"
16 October 1997, The Washington Post, Jim Hoagland, Opinion "In
the conduct of foreign policy, the United States today resembles an
eccentric, wealthy geezer who has amassed a fortune but forgotten why,
who is rapidly losing the will and ability to get out of the mansion
and spend his treasure usefully."
"The Sanctions War Dance"
14 October 1997, Journal of Commerce, Aviva Freudmann, Editorial
London -- "The European Union and the United States are in the midst
of Helms-Burton Two -- a renewal of their long-running disagreement
over the extraterritorial application of U.S. trade laws. At issue
in this round is a $2 billion contract shared by the French energy
company Total SA with two other firms, one Russian and one Malaysian,
to develop natural gas fields in Iran."
"Shooting Yourself in the Foot"
13 October 1997, Barron's, Claude Barfield and Mark Groombridge,
Editorial Commentary "French Prime Minister Lionel Jospin spoke for
most of the trading world a few days ago when he defied U.S. threats
to invoke trade sanctions over a $2 billion contract between the French
energy company Total and Iran to produce two billion cubic feet of
natural gas."
"U.S. Policy Needs an Overhaul"
13 October 1997, The Dallas Morning News, Editorial "To convince
its major allies to join it in isolating Iran, the United States first
tried words. When that failed, it tried coercion. Now coercion seems
to have failed also. It's time to consider other approaches."
"Why Our Cuba Policy is Wrong"
13 October 1997, Fortune, David R. Henderson, Opinion "Proponents
of the American embargo against Cuba argue as follows: By squeezing
the Cuban economy enough, the U.S. government can make Cubans even
poorer than Fidel Castro has managed to over the past 37 years through
his imposition of Stalin-style socialism. Ultimately, the theory goes,
some desperate Cubans will rise up and overthrow Castro."
"Trading Freedoms in China"
12 October 1997, The Detroit News, Editorial "U.S. Sen. Arlen
Specter, R-Penn., and U.S. Rep. Frank Wolf, R-Va., are cosponsoring
the Freedom from Religious Persecution Act. It seeks to impose trade
sanctions against China to end the persecution of Christians and other
religious groups in that country. A U.S. State Department report this
summer found that Chinese authorities have intensified their crack-down
on the independent Christian house-church movement."
"Dual Disaster: U.S. Policy
Futile"
12 October 1997, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Richard Foster,
Editorial ""Dual containment" sounds like it might be the
name of an elaborate Packers defense designed to work against both
the pass and the run. In fact, it's the name of a Clinton administration
strategy that's effective against neither of the two threats it's
designed to counter: Iran and Iraq. But, the administration clings
to this strategy as stubbornly as a diehard Packers fan clings to
the hope of another Super Bowl victory."
"Who's Isolating Whom? A Wrongheaded
U.S. Sanctions Law Faces A Test"
10 October 1997, The Sacramento Bee, Editorial "Sooner or later,
a U.S. law enacted last year to punish foreign companies making major
investments in Iran's energy sector was bound to be challenged. Not
surprisingly, the first challenger is France, a prickly ally that
often objects -- in this case, justifiably -- to what it sees as American
bullying of European allies over their relations with third parties."
"The Bad Laws That make for
Bad Foreign Relations"
9 October 1997, Copley News Service, Editorial "The Iran-Libya
Sanctions Act, passed last year to impede nations from trading with
Iran or Libya, has had its inevitable effect. The United States is
in another nasty face-off with its European allies."
"Iran divides the West"
9 October 1997, Journal of Commerce, Editorial "The United
States has had serious difficulties dealing with Iran since Ayatollah
Khomeini toppled the shah from his peacock throne in 1979. Now President
Clinton is firing the opening salvos in what could be a new trans-Atlantic
trade war between America and Europe."
"U.S. Gratuitous Antagonizing
of Other Countries"
7 October 1997, Chicago Tribune, Commentary "The decision,
announced Sept. 29, of French, Russian and Malaysian energy companies
to develop an Iranian gas field will produce still another international
row over sanctions and the current American disposition to legislate
for the world."
"Total Madness"
6 October 1997, The Wall Street Journal, Editorial "In the
same news cycle that saw the U.S. send the aircraft carrier Nimitz
to the Persian Gulf because Iranian and Iraqi warplanes were jacking
up tensions there, we have the Prime Minister of France declaring
that he "rejoices" in a project that might give Iran the wherewithal
to acquire nuclear missiles."
"U.S. religious, business interests
collide in Russia"
5 October 1997, The Cincinnati Enquirer, Editorial "Freedom
of religion and free trade are about to collide in Congress. A House-senate
conference committee is poised to cut off $200 million in foreign
aid to Russia because of restrictions on the rights of Catholics and
Protestants signed into law last month by President Boris Yeltsin."
"Blunderbuss Diplomacy"
4 October 1997, New Orleans Times-Picayune, Editorial "The
United States is about to have a serious run-in with its allies because
of its propensity for hurling at adversaries economic thunderbolts
that miss the target and return as boomerangs. These thunderbolts
are unilateral economic sanctions designed to hurt real adversaries
such as Iran and Libya but instead only freeze major U.S. companies
out of the competitive international marketplace while correspondingly
enriching other nations' companies."
"US Enemies Everywhere"
3 October 1997, Journal of Commerce,Editorial "The Cold War
is over and the biggest menace to the United States and the free world
- Communism - is dying. But the world is full of America's enemies,
and, if Congress gets its way, there will be plenty more."
"America's Allies Make Trading
Curbs Look Silly"
2 October 1997, St. Petersburg Times, Editorial "Sometimes
it takes an old friend to put you straight, to tell you that you've
been acting silly. Even when that old friend is France and seems to
be enjoying itself a bit too much."
"U.S. Companies Lose Out in Anti-Iran
Embargo"
1 October 1997, Star-Tribune, Editorial "The U.S. economic
sanctions against Iran were meant to hurt the Iranians. Instead, the
big losers have been U.S. companies that have been denied a share
of Iran's oil wealth."
"Economic
Sanctions: Washington Should Use Them More Selectively"
29 September 1997, Dallas Morning News, Editorial "Is the United
States too free and easy with the use of economic sanctions? That
is what many business leaders think. They see most sanctions as hurting
business without doing much to achieve their stated foreign policy
goals. Republican Sen. Richard Lugar and Democratic Rep. Lee Hamilton,
both of Indiana, agree. They plan to introduce bills that would force
a more judicious use of economic sanctions."
"Christian Groups Should Rethink Economic Sanctions"
28 September 1997, Lima News, Daniel T. Griswold
"Religious lobbying groups want Congress to restrict the sale of goods
to foreign nations that persecute people of faith. But the bill that
the Christian Coalition and the Family Research Council support, the
Freedom from Religious Persecution Act, will likely make things worse
for the very believers the lobbying group want to help."
"Trade Sanctions: U.S. Often Impulsive With Economic
Slaps"
26 September 1997, The Columbus Dispatch
"The United States can and should be a leader in the world on such
issues as human rights and anti-terrorism, but that does not mean
leaders should be naive in believing that enforcing moral authority
with trade sanctions routinely works."
"Arms sale ban: Admirable Motives,
Wrong Conclusion"
25 September 1997, The Post and Courier (Charleston, SC), Marianne
Means "The House quietly adopted a restrictive "code of conduct" this
June that attempts to legislate international morality by imposing
a ban on U.S. sales of airplanes, tanks, trucks and high-tech arms
to nondemocratic countries guilty of human rights abuses. Passed quickly
by voice vote without vocal opposition, the measure caught the aerospace
industry napping despite the megabucks it has to lose by this action.
"
"Trade Sanctions Used Too Often:
They Feel Good, But They Don't Often Work"
23 September 1997, Dayton Daily News, Editorial "Every time
the United States gets mad at somebody, somebody proposes trade sanctions.
It's an easy, emotionally satisfying option. It's a way of doing something
serious without putting American troops in harm's way. The trouble
is, it doesn't seem to work very often."
"Trading Haste For Deliberation"
23 September 1997, The Indianapolis News, Editorial "When the
United States gets into any halfway serious disagreement with another
country, U.S. leaders tend immediately to impose trade sanctions to
express their disapproval of the offending nation."
"Sanctions"
22 September 1997, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Editorial "This
week, two of the most reasonable members of Congress -- Sen. Richard
Lugar, R-Ind., and Rep. Lee Hamilton, D-Ind. -- will introduce a bill
to make Congress actually think about what it is doing bfore it legislates
unilateral sanctions against foreign countries."
"Sanctions: nice idea but..."
22 September 1997, Journal of Commerce, Editorial "They are
unweildy, hard to enforce and usually deemed a failure. Yet sanctions
aimed at punishing foreign governments have never been more popular
in the United States."
"Economic Sanctions Rarely Work"
21 September 1997, Wisconsin State Journal,Opinion "During
the past four years the United States has displayed a penchant for
using economic penalties, such as trade and investment restrictions,
as tools of foreign policy, despite overwhelming evidence that such
sanctions rarely accomplish their goals."
"Think before sanctioning"
17 September 1997, Chicago Sun-Times, Editorial "In child-rearing,
punishment generally is considered effective only when it results
in the desired behavioral changes. So it should be in international
relations as well."
"Our one-sided sanctions"
16 September 1997, The Port St.Lucie News, Editorial "First,
this basic fact about unilateral trade sanctions: Overwhelmingly,
they do not work. Also they tend to be counterproductive: Our long-standing
sanctions against Cuba, Libya and Iran seem to have helped to perpetuate
the regimes they were designed to topple."
"A Reckless Use of Sanctions"
15 September 1997, Rocky Mountain News, Editorial "First, this
basic fact about unilateral trade sanctions: Overwhelmingly, they
do not work. Also they are arguably counterproductive. Our long-standing
sanctions against Cuba, Libya and Iran seem to have perpetuated the
regimes they were designed to topple. That's why the well-intentioned
Freedom from Religious Persecution Act of 1997 now being debated in
Congress is bad policy."
"Sanctions and sanctity"
12 September 1997, The Commercial Appeal, Editorial "UNILATERAL
TRADE sanctions generally do not work and are counterproductive. Our
longstanding sanctions against Cuba, Libya and Iran seem to have perpetuated
the regimes they were designed to topple."
"Sanctions Won't Help Believers"
12 September 1997, The Chicago Tribune, Editorial "Washington's
new willingness to treat religious persecution as a major human-rights
issue is as welcome as it is overdue. Believers are oppressed in many
countries, but their plight has rarely been a prime concern for traditional
human-rights activists."
"Stop Shooting
from the Hip on Trade"
31 August 1997, The Tampa Tribune, Editorial "When you're angry,
count to 10 before you speak, Thomas Jefferson advised. When you're
very angry, count to 100. That classic advice is being ignored in
Congress, in state capitals and even in city halls and school board
meeting rooms, with costly results. Governments at every level, with
minimal debate, have rushed to express moral indignation over foreign
misbehavior by imposing a long list of sanctions and boycotts."
"If sanctions don't work, they
shouldn't be used"
30 August 1997, San Antonio Express-News, Editorial "Frequently,
when another nation is accused of some violation of human, civil or
other rights, the United States slaps unilateral economic sanctions
on the alleged offender - and we all feel good about ourselves. But
what does it really mean?"
"Take a Second Look at Embargoes"
20 August 1997, Albuquerque Tribune, Editorial "Embargoes against
misbehaving countries occasionally do good -- the world's shunning
of South Africa probably helped end apartheid -- but America seems
to be employing sanctions promiscuously."
"Evaluating Sanctions"
18 August 1997, The Stuart News/Port St. Lucie News, Editorial
"Embargoes against misbehaving countries occasionally do good -- for
example, the world's shunning of South Africa probably helped end
apartheid -- but the United States seems to be employing sanctions
promiscuously."
"City's Burma policy an endless,
bad idea"
18 August 1997, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Editorial "Burma
suffers under one of the world's worst regimes. The gaggle of generals
who lord over that country's 47 million people has kept them subservient,
isolated and poor. They have kept Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San
Suu Kyi under house arrest for nearly a decade, and they fund their
army with rake-offs from Burma's No. 1 export, opium."
"Going Slow on Embargoes"
11 August 1997, Rocky Mountain News, Editorial "Embargoes against
misbehaving countries occasionally do good -- the world's shunning
of South Africa probably helped end apartheid -- but America seems
to be employing sanctions promiscuously."
"It's Wrong to Demonize China"
10 August 1997, The New York Times, Jimmy Carter Atlanta --
"I spent the spring of 1949 in the seaports of China as a young naval
officer on my first submarine cruise. Nearly 30 years later, Deng
Xiaoping and I normalized diplomatic relations between our countries.
We knew that even with this opening, decades of patience and persistence
would be required before the bonds between our greatly different countries
would be firm and predictable."
"Embargoes Handed Out a Bit Too Freely"
8 August 1997, The Evansville Courier, Editorial "Embargoes
against misbehaving countries occasionally do good -- the world's
shunning of South Africa probably helped end apartheid -- but America
seems to be employing sanctions promiscuously."
"Sanctions Slowdown"
8 August 1997, The Birmingham Post-Herald, Editorial "Sometimes
economic sanctions work. Sometimes they are morally compulsory in
any case. (Nobody admires the Swedes for trading with the Nazis.)
But a lot of thinking ought to precede their enactment. That's what
the Lugar-Hamilton bill would ensure."
"Slow Down Sanctions"
7 August 1997, The Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN), Editorial
"Embargoes against misbehaving countries occasionally do good -- the
world's shunning of South Africa probably helped end apartheid --
but America seems to be employing sanctions promiscuously."
"Time to end these sanctions"
6 August 1997, The Chicago Tribune, Editorial "Five years ago
when Azerbaijan and Armenia, two former Soviet republics, were embroiled
in bloody ethnic warfare, Congress imposed a ban on U.S. government
aid to Azerbaijan, believing this vital to help Armenia avoid catastrophic
defeat."
"Backing Illegal Sanctions"
6 August 1997, The Journal of Commerce, Kimberly Ann Elliott
"Even before he resigned to lobby for Senate confirmation to be U.S.
ambassador to Mexico, Massachusetts Governor William Weld dabbled
in foreign policy. Last year he signed legislation restricting state
procurement from companies doing business in Myanmar. In that case,
however, Weld was not just taking on the regime in Myanmar. Unintentionally,
he was also taking on Europe, Japan, and other American allies and
trading partners who argue the Massachusetts law violates American
obligations under international trade rules."
"Confused on Trade"
6 August 1997, Journal of Commerce, Editorial
"Americans are increasingly skeptical about free trade. So say some
of the nation's most vocal consumer groups, and the few surveys that
exist on the subject tend to confirm this. How is it, then, that consumers,
who are the most certain beneficiaries of free trade, seem to take
a position so clearly against their own interests? What makes consumers
in the United States, the world's most open, consumer-oriented society,
feel that way? There is no single answer. But media coverage and the
government's own ambiguous attitude are among the chief causes."
"Careful with sanctions, they
could hurt America, too"
4 August 1997, Houston Chronicle, Editorial
"In other situations, sanctions promise to do more harm than good.
When this is the case, we would be wise to hold off. The United States
would not intervene with other tools - whether they entailed diplomacy,
covert action or armed force - without careful consideration. The
time has come to treat economic sanctions no less seriously."
"Chicken
Soup Diplomacy"
30 July 1997, The Trenton-Times, Editorial
"Increasingly in recent years, the United States has applied the weapon
of unilateral economic sanctions against foreign countries with whose
policies we disagree. During President Clinton's first term, the White
House and/or Congress imposed new unilateral sanctions on 35 nations
- often without thorough consideration of their potential effectiveness
of their consequences."
"Sanctions -- With Care"
27 July 1997, The Washington Post, Richard N. Haass
"Sanctions are fast becoming America's foreign policy tool of choice.
It makes little difference whether the issue involves human rights,
terrorism, drugs or weapons proliferation. Whatever the problem, economic
sanctions are increasingly the answer...Increasingly, however, sanctions
are being used cavalierly, with scant regard to their actual impact
on American interests. This is bad for particular businesses and worse
for the nation's security."
"Bull in a china shop"
15 July 1997, Journal of Commerce, Editorial
"The House last week overwhelmingly approved a bill that would ban
financial transactions with countries the government views as supporting
terrorism. The Senate passed a different version last month."
"U.S. Trade Laws Untenable"
02 July 1997, The Financial Post, Editorial
"In an era when most trading nations are busily constructing a commercial
system based on international rules, it's sad to see the biggest trader
strike off in directions that undermine the system."
"Using
trade as weapon gains popularity, backfires"
25 June 1997, USA Today, Our View
"Efforts by Christian conservatives and labor liberals to break normal
trade relations with China failed Tuesday in the House, ending for
another year Washington's annual saber rattling over China. If only
other countries were as lucky."
"U.S. should lift ban on food
and medicine for Cubans"
21 June 1997, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Editorial
"Passage of a bipartisan bill in Congress to ease restrictions on
the sale of food and medicine to Cuba would restore some sanity to
a misguided U.S. policy that inflicts suffering on innocent Cuban
citizens."
"Taking on the world"
18 June 1997, San Francisco Examiner, Editorial
"The Sovereign State of San Francisco may swing its avenging fist
to the far reaches of the globe until - poof! - nothing is left. WE
LIKE a good show of independence, and in that spirit we had to cheer
the Board of Supervisors this week who extended their Zeus-given duty
to defend human rights to the far ends of the Earth and back again."
"Congress shouldn't use sanctions
to pursue a human-rights agenda"
13 June 1997, The Sacramento Bee, Jeffrey E. Garten
"The struggle between the Clinton administration and Congress over
renewing China's most-favored-nation trading status is a symptom of
a much larger problem with American trade policy."
"A new policy is needed, argues
an Indiana representative"
3 June 1997, The Christian Science Monitor, Lee Hamilton
"For more than three decades the United States has embargoed Cuba
in an unsuccessful effort to force Fidel Castro from power. Last year,
in the wake of Cuba's brutal shoot-down of private US planes in international
air space, Congress passed the Helms-Burton law, which tightened economic
sanctions. Opponents feared it would hurt the Cuban people, not Castro.
A year's experience shows they were right."
"Sanctions Are An Expensive
Way to Win Votes"
2 June 1997, The Wall Street Journal Interactive, George Melloan
"Congress in the weeks ahead will argue whether to grant Bill Clinton's
request for a further one-year extension of "Most Favored Nation"
(MFN) treatment to China. The debate will reflect the rising influence
of lobbies with global interests and concerns."
"The Wrong
Choice of Weapons"
28 May, 1997, The Journal of Commerce, James E. Perrella
"When the United States imposed its grain embargo on the Soviet Union
in 1980, farmers in Canada, France and Australia cheered as they inherited
a formerly robust U.S. export market. The same U.S. sanctions forced
many American farmers to line up in bankruptcy courts, victims of
a foreign policy decision from which many would never recover."
"Congress Wages War on Free
Trade"
28 May 1997, The New York Times, Jeffrey E. Garten
"The struggle between the Clinton Administration and Congress over
renewing China's most-favored-nation trading status is a symptom of
a much larger problem with American trade policy. That is the growing
tendency of Congress to use trade sanctions to pursue non-economic
goals, including protecting human rights, improving conditions for
foreign workers, safeguarding the environment, stopping illegal drug
trafficking and curtailing nuclear weapons sales."
"Alternatives to Unilateral Trade
Sanctions"
25 May 1997, The Washington Times, Commentary by Archie W.
Dunham
"There has been a great deal of discussion about the position of the
United States in the international trade world of the 21st century.
I believe one essential requirement of our nation's international
trade policy in the next century is that America's energy companies
remain strong."
"The Best Hope for China"
25 May 1997, The Washington Post, Commentary by Jeane Kirkpatrick
"The annual debate on whether to renew China's status as a "Most Favored
Nation" got underway this past week with President Clinton's announcement
that renewing existing trade ties with China is 'the best way to bring
China into the family of nations and to secure our interests and our
ideals.'"
"Fictitious enemies"
23 May 1997, The Journal of Commerce, Commentary
"U.S. national security is under such an "unusual and extraordinary
threat" that President Clinton earlier this week declared a state
of "national emergency" to deal with it. Yet unlike the procedures
followed in real, national emergencies, there were no prior consultations
with Congress or with NATO allies, no strategic meetings in the Pentagon,
no general mobilization and no call to arms to defend Old Glory."
"Sanctioning Burma, Stick with
engagement"
8 May 1997, Far Eastern Economic Review, Editorial
"Of the many arguments against economic sanctions, the one that we
have always found the most persuasive is the simplest: They don't
work. The threat of sanctions, of course, has worked to squeeze concessions
out of countries desperate for business, but in this they represent
the economic equivalent of Mutual Assured Destruction. In other words,
sanctions work only as a bluff. Once invoked, everyone loses."
"The
Sleep of Reason Produces Monsters -- Human Costs of Economic Sanctions"
24 April 1997, The New England Journal of Medicine,
"The sanctions may be aimed at Fidel Castro, but the victims are the
ordinary citizens of Cuba. Castro looks as well fed as ever. Economic
sanctions afflict civilians, not soldiers and not the leaders of autocratic
societies. Yet the United States continues to employ such sanctions
against dictators (or at least those dictators it suits present policy
to condemn)."
"Cuba Can't Change on Its
Own"
22 April 1997, The New York Times, Op-Ed
"Like people everywhere, Cubans yearn for peace, prosperity and freedom.
Our challenge is to make our existing totalitarian state, which is
obsolete and inefficient, evolve into a more open system that is better
attuned to the global economy and the world around us. The Cuban people
fervently want that change, but they insist that it occur peacefully."
"Cuba, Food, Medicine: America
Should Not Be In The Business Of Inflicting Pain"
04 April 1997, The Washington Post, Op-Ed
"In this piece, Stephen Rosenfeld explains why the US sanctions policy
on Cuba "is in fact continually cutting deeper, making the United
States a party -- to a degree that needs some sorting out -- to the
infliction of pain and suffering on an unoffending civilian population."
He addresses key concerns surrounding US sanctions policy especially
in regards to Cuba.
"What 'Dialogue'
With Iran?"
28 March 1997, The Washington Post, Commentary
Stephen Rosenfeld compares US policy (unilateral trade boycott) with
Iran and other nations' policy of working quietly on the inside and
conducting a "constructive dialogue" on human rights with Iran.
"Targeting Sanctions"
25 March 1997, The Journal of Commerce, Commentary
'Alarmed by a rising tide of unilateral trade sanctions, US companies
are fighting back - and not a moment too soon. Several major business
groups are forming a coalition called USA*ENGAGE to fight the spread
of punitive trade measures imposed by federal, state and even municipal
governments across the United States."
"Trade Sanctions Normally Don't
Work"
19 March 1997, The Detroit News, Opinion
Bruce Bartlett, senior fellow at the National Center for Policy Analysis,
discusses trends in the lack of effectiveness of trade sanctions.
This is due, he says, to the United States increasing willingness
to impose unilateral sanctions without cooperation from its allies.
"The
Sanctions Madness"
28 February 1997, The Journal of Commerce, Editorial
"Politicians have increasingly turned toward using sanctions to gain
favor with public opinion. However, recent studies confirm that sanctions
seldom work effectively, that domestic industries suffer more than the
target government, that foreign competitors quickly fill the vacant
shoes of US firms, and that all "US companies gain is a reputation as
unreliable suppliers."
"Keep Door
Open In Myanmar"
28 February 1997, Journal of Commerce, Commentary
Unocal president, John F. Imle, Jr., briefly outlines in this commentary
the reasons for which US sanctions in regards Myanmar (the former
Burma) would "be not only bad policy, but a terrible mistake."
"Aid To Russia"
27 February 1997, The Washington Post, Editorial
"The Clinton administration will ask Congress for 900 million dollars
next year for aid to Russia -- to promote an open, democratic society."
"US Sanctions
Fad Cries For Restraint"
25 February 1997, International Herald Tribune (Singapore),
Commentary
"Economic sanctions rarely work and already they seem to be getting
out of hand in the US. Not only do Congress and the Administration
launch appeals for sanctions, city units and states do so as well
-- and foreign governments, fearful of unscrupulous labelling, fail
to raise red flags."
"Self-Inflicted
Wounds"
18 February 1997, Journal of Commerce, Commentary
"Congress has succumbed to the 'bad country of the month' syndrome",
writes Stuart Anderson. US sanctions policy is the No. 1 impediment
to the expansion of US trade abroad. Anderson suggests three measures
which Congress should enact before and after levying sanctions, which
include full disclosure of economic studies to the US public.
"A Case For
Investment In Burma"
06 February 1997, International Herald Tribune, Commentary
(Unocal President) Imle's commentary deals with the current sanction
issues and Myanmar, US companies' current involvement -- including,
job creation, small industry creation, improved medical care, better
schools and sustainable livestock and agricultural development --
in Myanmar, and how unilateral US sanction policy threatens to undermine
these activities.
"Human Rights And Sanctions"
06 February 1997, The Oil and Gas Journal, Editorial
"Companies are being held to account for misbehavior by the governments
of countries where they work. British Petroleum Co. has run into the
problem in Colombia, Royal Dutch/Shell in Nigeria. Companies based
in the US suffer by exclusion, or the risk of it, when official dissatisfaction
with foreign regimes leads to the imposition or threat of economic
sanctions."
"Carter Assails
Helms-Burton"
28 January 1997, The Journal of Commerce, Commentary
"It is one of the worst mistakes my country has ever made," former President
Carter said. "I think it is detrimental to the basic goals of my nation.
The Helms-Burton Act is an obstruction to the democratization of Cuba
rather than enhancing it."
"Imposing Trade Sanctions On Burma Will
Have Adverse Effects"
11 January 1997, The Washington Times, Commentary
Stuart Anderson, Director of trade and immigration studies at the Cato
Institute, responds to Peter Ferrara's Jan. 7 Commentary column, "Trade
sanction fantasies."
"An Investment Or Impediment?
Unocal Project Stirs Controversy"
10 January 1997, The Daily Breeze, Editorial
Neither Unocal Corporation nor human rights activists share the same
opinion regarding involvement (or lack thereof) of US companies in
Myanmar. This article attempts to outline the two sides and draws a
conclusion that positive economic growth in Myanmar will lead toward an
improved government regime.
"Trade Sanction Fantasies"
07 January 1997, The Washington Times, Commentary
Peter Ferrara, General Counsel and Chief Economist at Americans for Tax
Reform, outlines reasons against US sanctions in Myanmar, considering
any sanction as ineffective. His article offers examples of failed
sanctions and applies them to the current situation with Myanmar.
"US Struggles With Trade-Off
Between Morality, Sanctions"
06 January 1997, Dallas Morning News, Commentary
Jim Landers, staff writer for The Dallas Morning News, briefly
describes the sanctions issue in terms of Helms-Burton, Burma, and the
Massachusetts legislature's consideration of a sanctions bill against
Burma, and possible sanctions against Mexico regarding drug-trafficking.
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