To Sanction or not to Sanction…
A scene from Iran's army day parade in April 2008 (Majid/Getty)
To sanction or not to sanction? The question of the week, the summer, or the year. Economic sanctions on Iran seemed like more of a long shot last week, than they do today. I spent last week covering the anti- Ahmadinejad protests in New York City. There was a huge turnout, fueled by emotion, passion, and dedication. There were Iranians, Americans, Canadians, Europeans, people traveled from everywhere, just to hold signs and participate in a historic couple of days. As an observer, you would think there would be one message from the protesters, but there wasn’t. There was infighting amongst the protesters because of their different views on the situation.
Some protesters believe the best way to engage Iran is through the issue of human rights. These same protesters are saying no to economic sanctions, and no to military aggression…ultimately they think Iranians can change the regime on their own. There is also another group of protesters who say no to the Islamic Republic, a very controversial platform, while others just say no to a nuclear Iran, “peaceful” or not. Those that advocate a dialogue on human rights are made up of more Iranian-Americans who reference the nuances of Iran’s current government and media, stressing the ability of these institutions to twist messages from the west to their own benefit. Ultimately, they say the less “political” our message, the less likely Iran’s government can convince Iranians that these “protesters” are connected with organizations that are not concerned with the best interests of Iran. This tactic has been used over and over by Iran’s government and could very well be used yet again, when economic sanctions are increased.
Right now, the target of proposed economic sanctions by the world powers on Iran, is the government. But, some say the government won’t necessarily be effected, it will be the Iranians themselves who on average make $10,000/year. Yes, the economic sanctions will further cripple an already troubled economy, increase unemployment, and drive prices even higher, but the sanctions may also do something the sanctioners can not predict. The sanctions could very well unify the Iranian people and the government against the world powers. In an effort to save face amidst failed economic policies, sanctions can be the “fall guy” for the Iranian government versus criticism of their own economic programs. It’s something to think about…So, I ask you…
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Ms. Vossoughian,
The problem is as I see it is that Iran has broken international treaties by secretly developing nuclear reactors which have the sole purpose of generating weapons grade fissile materials. If there are no consequences, those treaties will mean nothing. Economic sanctions are of course but one option and those do not need to be so severe as to cause economic pain to ordinary Iranians. There could be a ban on exports to Iran of certain industrial or computer items needed to conduct weapons research and development.
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