Follow us on social

Screen-shot-2022-10-04-at-5.02.29-pm

‘We impose these things and then that’s it’: McGovern tears into US sanctions policy

In a wide-ranging hearing, experts and members of Congress took a close look at whether this foreign policy tool is even effective.

Europe

Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) said in a hearing Tuesday that Congress does not “methodically and thoughtfully” review whether U.S. sanctions are really having their intended effect.

“We impose these things and then that's it,” said McGovern, who has long led efforts to sanction human rights abusers. “And then there are all kinds of political forces that make it very difficult to revisit these things.”

McGovern also contended that broad sanctions are ineffective, serving no purpose “except punishing people into ever-deepening misery and fueling anti-American sentiment” while encouraging countries to stop using the U.S. dollar as a reserve currency.

The comments came during a wide-ranging congressional hearing on the humanitarian impacts of sanctions. Noting the deadly effects of U.S. sanctions in countries like Myanmar, Venezuela, Syria, and Iran, experts suggested a range of reforms that could make the measures less costly for civilian populations. 

Among other things, each of the witnesses who spoke during the hearing argued in favor of a built-in review process that would force Congress to reauthorize sanctions regimes after a given period — or at least evaluate their effectiveness and impact on civilians.

In this vein, Delaney Simon of the International Crisis Group proposed that all sanctions programs be accompanied by “clear statements of [the] foreign policy objectives they are trying to further, periodic reauthorization requirements, and regular reviews to Congress” of their effectiveness and humanitarian impact.

Experts also noted that so-called “targeted sanctions” are far from the panacea that many in Congress view them as.

“Sanctions aimed at weakening the targeted government will often cause that regime to adopt more repressive measures to stay in power,” argued Daniel Drezner of Tufts University, adding that such sanctions also tend to have a negative impact on the country’s overall economy.

Another issue raised during the hearing was “overcompliance,” or cases in which businesses and NGOs choose to avoid doing business in a sanctioned country even though they would likely qualify for a waiver. Organizations often fear that they will accidentally violate sanctions, and many nonprofits are simply unable to shoulder the legal costs associated with guaranteeing compliance, as Yale professor and Quincy Institute non-resident fellow Asli Bali explained.

“For an aid agency working internationally, being cut off from international financial transactions due to the provision of humanitarian supplies to a sanctioned country imperils their work globally,” Bali said. “This is a risk many corporations and NGOs have proven unwilling to take regardless of how well designed a humanitarian waiver exemption system might be.”

When it comes to sanctions imposed on Russia, experts were more positive. Bruce Jentleson, a professor at Duke University who previously served in a range of foreign policy-related roles, argued that economic restrictions have had an impressive impact on Moscow’s military effort in Ukraine. Perhaps the largest benefit of such measures is that they could strengthen Washington’s hand in future negotiations — that is, assuming that policymakers are willing to get past concerns about looking “soft” on the Kremlin.

“We really need to be thinking about, if we get to that point, what are the sanctions that we lift [...] for what concessions?” Jentleson said.

Some experts also weighed in on the debate over whether to designate Russia a state sponsor of terror, a conversation that has heated up in recent weeks as members of Congress have pressured President Joe Biden to make the designation. 

“Some measures that have been suggested — for instance, the state sponsor of terrorism designation — may close off opportunities to start considering an earnest sanctions relief,” Simon of the ICG argued, adding that it could also have negative effects on the global humanitarian situation.

More generally, experts argued that the U.S. would be better off if it stopped using economic punishment as a knee-jerk response to issues around the world. “We need to stop making sanctions the default option,” said Jentleson.

Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) speaks during a Tuesday hearing on the impacts of U.S. sanctions. (Screengrab via humanrightscommission.house.gov)
Europe
Why no one should take this hawkish think tank seriously

Screengrab via youtube.com/@PBSNewsHour

Why no one should take this hawkish think tank seriously

QiOSK

Foundation for the Defense of Democracies CEO Mark Dubowitz shared a graphic on the X platform this week purporting to place blame on President Biden for Iran’s increasing stockpile of high enriched uranium — material that can be used in nuclear weapons — when in reality it’s Dubowitz, his organization and their allies in the Trump administration that are largely responsible.

“Facts are stubborn things,” Dubowitz said before showing the graphic. “Iran’s nuclear expansion has occurred under the Biden administration’s failed Iran policy of maximum concessions.”

keep readingShow less
Senegal dodges crisis as authorities certify opposition victory

Senegal's president-elect Bassirou Diomaye Faye speaks during a press conference in Dakar, Senegal March 25, 2024. REUTERS/ Luc Gnago

Senegal dodges crisis as authorities certify opposition victory

QiOSK

Political outsider Bassirou Diomaye Faye will officially be declared the next president of Senegal Friday after cruising to victory in this week’s elections just 10 days after being released from prison.

Faye won 54% of the vote, allowing him to avoid a second round matchup with former Prime Minister Amadou Ba, the Dakar Court of Appeals announced Wednesday. Ba has conceded defeat and congratulated Faye, as has current President Macky Sall.

keep readingShow less
Where are the US ships on the Gaza aid mission now?
File:US Navy 030530-N-0000X-002 Sea trials of USNS Benavidez (T ...

Where are the US ships on the Gaza aid mission now?

QiOSK

The Army and Navy ships that have left the U.S. for a massive humanitarian aid project in Gaza are still making their way across the Atlantic, with two still at ports in Florida and Virginia. It will likely take until mid-April for the vessels to reach Gaza and begin building a temporary causeway to facilitate the entry of life-saving aid into the strip.

Looking at real-time satellite imagery tracking military vessels, it looks like the USAV Gen. Frank Besson Jr., an Army support vessel that left Fort Eustis, Virginia, on March 10, has been moored and presumably refueling at a port in the Azores, Portugal, since Friday. It is at the half-way point between the U.S. and its final destination of Cyprus (nearly 5,000 nautical miles total). At an average speed of 10 knots, its journey will take nearly two more weeks, depending on weather conditions, once it gets going again.

keep readingShow less

Israel-Gaza Crisis

Latest