A must read column from Newsweek by Fareed Zakaria with a slightly different twist on how to think about the efficacy of US sanctions policy...from the perspective of the sanctioned:

As you read about yet another Iranian "election"—in which candidates have been carefully vetted by the ruling mullahs—keep in mind that the real story in Iran is that the government has tightened its grip on power in recent years. Despite an unhappy population, the mullahs have shut down newspapers, persecuted nongovernmental groups and imprisoned opponents. An interesting contrast in the same region is Libya, surely the strangest country to be taking baby steps toward reform. Once a key sponsor of terror, it is now opening up its economy, welcoming tourism and trade, presenting economic-reform plans and even talking about political changes. While all these steps are small and easily reversible—Libya is still ruled by a wacky megalomaniac—there is some real movement here. What's striking about these two countries is that we have had different policies toward them. Simply put, we have tried regime change with Iran and conditional engagement with Libya.

It isn't just these two countries where you see this pattern. For almost five decades the United States has put in place a series of costly policies designed to force Cuba to dismantle its communist system. These policies have failed totally. Contrast this with Vietnam, also communist, where Washington has adopted a different approach, normalizing relations with its former enemy. While Vietnam remains a Leninist regime in many ways, it has opened up its society, and the government has loosened its grip on power, certainly far more than that of Fidel Castro. For the average person in Libya or Vietnam, American policy has improved his or her life and life chances. For the average person in Iran or Cuba, U.S. policy has produced decades of isolation and economic hardship.

Read the rest.  I had the chance to spend a bit of time in Vietnam last year and the place has clearly changed in ways that would not exactly warm the heart of Uncle Ho.  Of course, I don't expect Fidel to be welcomed to the White House or vice versa as Vietnamese Prime Minister Phan Van Khai was this week.

Comments

[Josh Narins]

I always end up saying, when the matter comes to Iran and elections, that, twice, in overwhelming numbers, super-majorities of Iranians voted for the pro-US candidate. One of Khatami's first moves was to make a conciliatory comment towards America (something we can't expect from the new guy).

America has repaid the efforts of Iranian voters by declaring Iran "evil." No wonder they gave up trying.

OK, what does "related blogs" mean? I found ArmsControlWonk a few weeks ago, love the work, but now seeing your links to him, IntlTradeBlog and TradeLawNews I have to wonder if you don't represent a faction. Which faction would that be?

Not that I don't like it your views. You sound sane. It's just I find myself feeling a bit suspicious.

[Scott Gearity]

Josh, no "faction" here. Just the handful of blogs I've managed to locate that discuss arms or export controls and other matters of international trade compliance.