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Powell Intends To Curb U.S. Use Of Sanctions, But Not On Iraq
WASHINGTON, Jan 22 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - Secretary of State Colin Powell is about to launch a revolution in American diplomacy by proposing to scrap most of the punitive sanctions imposed by the U.S. on foreign countries.
Powell told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that the use of trade embargoes and other forms of sanctions "shows a degree of American hubris and arrogance that may not, at the end of the day, serve our interests all that well."
"I would like to participate with you in discussing how to get rid of most of them," he said, addressing the Committee.
He asked Congress to listen to him say: "Stop, look and listen, before you impose a sanction.... count to ten, then call me."
At his confirmation, Powell, who offered few details about which sanctions or countries he intends to review, confirmed that he would maintain sanctions on Iraq, but favors reassessing current restrictions on India.
The U.S. imposed sanctions on Pakistan and India after the two governments tested nuclear devices in 1998.
A senior U.S. official said that during the last two years, the Clinton administration became increasingly reluctant to impose or endorse sanctions because of the unintended consequences they sometimes have on innocent bystanders, such as women and children and neighboring countries.
In 1999, Clinton pushed to eliminate sanctions on humanitarian goods, and to open exports' in the way of food and medicine to Libya, Iran and Sudan.
On Friday, one day before Clinton's term ended, his administration imposed new sanctions against Afghanistan, restricting travel by officials of the ruling Taliban and banning military aid.
In U.S. law, sanctions can be imposed on countries for many offenses, among them: disrupting the world economy, harboring terrorists, selling weapons of mass destruction or engaging in war crimes. But they can also be imposed for mislabeling tuna under the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 to ensure that commercial tuna fishing practices do not kill dolphins.
"Sanctions tend to be effective only when you have modest goals and substantial international support," said Richard Haass of the Brookings Institution, who wrote two books on sanctions.
"We have asked sanctions to do too much," he said. "In [a] wide range of situations, people want to do something short of sending troops. Too often sanctions are used to fill that need to act without asking if that is the appropriate instrument."
"Sanctions demand a degree of control that is harder and harder to come by in a globalized world because there are more and more independent players - not just government organizations, cartels, even terrorist groups - to provide goods," he added.
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