Lifting sanctions?

04.17.2003

I'm amazed at the new debate on lifting UN sanctions on Iraq. The war's over; there's no need for sanctions. There was always a strong argument that the sanctions only hurt innocent civilians. I'd hoped the war would make sanctions irrelevant.

But the position of Russia and even the slight reluctance among EU members is baffling. The longer it takes lifting the sanctions, the more irrelevant the UN and war opponents become. I don't doubt that the US will start trading w/ the Iraqis right away - in essence, violating the sanctions. By the time sanctions are lifted, all those lucrative rebuilding contracts will already be set.

What about the Iraqi people? If the UN really cared about humanitarian rights of people, rather than the sovereignty of states, it'd lift the sanctions on Iraq. Immediately.

If the UN is nothing more than a proxy for international powers to restrain American action, it will fail. And it will have no moral relevancy.

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This entry also appears in The Command Post.

Posted by Miguel at 01:49 PM

Comments

I agree sanctions should be lifted immediately. Ironic isn't it that Russia and several other nations seem to have been trading with Iraq in contravention of the sanctions, but now try to block lifting them. Don't ya just love those folks?

Posted by: Russ Campbell at April 17, 2003 04:32 PM

Ironic, indeed. And ultimately self-destructive. We're now in a position to enforce the sanctions (i.e. no more illicit trade for Russia and co.). And in a position to "unilaterally" lift the sanctions against anyone who wants to trade w/ Iraq. So why are the Russians and others digging their own graves? Bush's going to the UN to lift the sanctions was a peace gesture to the UN and our former allies. Now the "Weasels" just made things worse for themselves. Tsk. Tsk. How pointless.

Posted by: miguel at April 17, 2003 04:53 PM

This is quite disturbing to me as well. As someone who was against the war... I thought that the one thing that *would* happen as a positive outcome of our premeptive actions/war would be the lifting of sanctions against Iraq. Relief for the people for chrissakes! The sanctions were put there as a meaure to try to get Saddam out... which obviously didn't phase him in the least.
A countless number of articles were written about the fact that the only one being hurt by sanctions were the Iraqi people and there's the thought that some of the world still wants to hurt them. It's ridiculous but, obviously its a self-interest gesture. One that will probably end up biting these brutes in their own asses.

Posted by: Eric at April 17, 2003 09:51 PM