State and Local Trade Sanctions: A Threat To U.S. Interests
November 1998, USA*TODAY, William H. Lash, III
Understanding international trade policy and foreign policy used to be
simple. The Trade Representative and Secretary of Commerce were
acknowledged as the representatives of the U.S. in trade matters, while the
Secretary of State was the voice of foreign policy. That no longer is the
case. States, and even cities, are entering the international arena, using the
trade hammer to promote their own foreign policy.
Congress may be easing view on sanctions
20 November 1998, Wall Street Journal, Philip Peters
A series of limited economic reforms since
1993 have injected doses of capitalism throughout the Cuban economy. The
results are modest when measured in national accounts, but for many
thousands of Cubans and their families, the reforms have brought higher
incomes and a measure of security. The greatest significance may be
ideological: even though socialism still reigns, Cuba is slowly
deviating from old principles.
Local interference with foreign policy
19 November 1998, Christian Science Monitor, Rep. Lee Hamilton
Representative Lee Hamilton, who is retiring, wrote in the Christian Science Monitor on November 19th," When we have major differences with another country, such as China,
Cuba, or even Iran, engagement works better over the long run than a
policy of isolation.Engagement
doesn't mean appeasement or ignoring differences. It means working to
resolve problems, promote US interests, and change a country's behavior
through international diplomacy and the example of democratic societies."
Judge Rules Burma Law Unconstitutional
15 November 1998, New York Times
On Sunday, November 15th, the New York Times wrote,"To some, it may smack of flower-power idealism that in recent years two dozen American cities have passed sanctions against foreign
countries, roaring like local mice against the ruling regime of Nigeria
or political repression in Tibet. But to a Federal district judge here, a state-level move by
Massachusetts to tilt at human rights abuses in Myanmar, formerly Burma,
seemed not sweetly quixotic but downright unconstitutional."
Local interference with foreign policy
09 November 1998, Boston Globe, Rep. Lee Hamilton
In the last several years, states and local governments have
increasingly attempted to weigh in on foreign policy matters by imposing
unilateral economic sanctions against nations whose actions they find
offensive...But as tempting and popular as these measure may
be, the proliferation of state and local sanctions undermines the
ability of our federal government to conduct a foreign policy that
serves our national interests.
Burma ruling is correct
07 November 1998, Boston Herald
We hold no brief for the brutal rulers of Myanmar. But a federal judge made the
right ruling this week when he said the state of Massachusetts can't refuse to do business with companies doing business there.
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