A friend familiar with the situation tells me the sanctions instigated by the U.S. government are having an major impact on the Iranian economy. Many firms are laying off employees in mass as the sanctions have slowed product flow into the country. Parts for manufacturers are becoming impossible to get.
But remember, THEY are a threat to US!
ReplyDeleteDoes this mean our government is responsible for murder if these sanctions end up killing the poorest Iranians? Or are they just collateral damage in the fight for freedom and the amurikan way?
ReplyDelete[Paraphrasing Frederic Bastiat]: When goods do not cross borders, troops will.
ReplyDeleteIn other news, the water flow instigated by my turning on the faucet is having a major impact on the dryness of my sink.
ReplyDeleteWhat do you think sanctions are for? When have sanctions not had this effect on a country?
It's not that sanctions don't have an effect on a country; it's who they affect. They certainly have no deleterious effect on the ruling class of the country. Since there is some trade going on between the targeted country and others and since this trade is in violation of the sanctions, it can only be done by people with 'friends in high places.' So, the regime is not suffering as much as Washington would like us to believe. In fact, the regime is getting solidified since there are fewer and fewer chances for ordinary folks to conduct trade and make wealth independently of the regime. Don't count on the worsening situation to be the cause of a revolution either. As de Tocqueville wrote on the French Revolution, the masses only rose after their living conditions had been improving for some time.
Delete@DuĊĦan... I understand who the sanctions effect and so do the people responsible for them. That was the point of my comment. Sanctions are always aimed at civilians.
DeleteI'm not sure if you didn't get my sarcasm or if you actually believe that sanctions are meant to be an alternative to war. If the latter, may I suggest Seeming Madness: The Suffocating Unreality that Kills.