Abstract

This is posted twice because Blogger is messing up again. The following is the abstract for my Middler Year Writing Requirement, a nearly 6,000-word recommendation report, a university requirement fabled and dreaded in the halls of Northeastern University. It's not a very good paper in my own opinion. I dunno... my heart wasn't in it. Maybe I'll post more of it later, but here's the abstract. I can send anyone the whole thing if they really like this and have way too much time on their hands.

The United States frequently utilizes multilateral economic sanctions as a foreign policy tool. Sanctions, however, have not attained U.S. goals. I examine the case of Iraq, where overreliance on sanctions after the abbreviated Second Gulf War has produced large-scale starvation, hurt economies worldwide, and fallen woefully short of expectations.
In the wake of the tragedies of September 11, 2001, the Second Gulf War and its aftermath takes on a new role as an example to the second Bush administration of what not to do in Afghanistan or other countries targeted in the “War on Terrorism.” The administration should not impose sanctions against Afghanistan. If further alleged sponsors of terrorism, such as Iraq, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Libya, or others, become targets of U.S. action, the lessons learned in Iraq should be applied.
I offer an alternative to the ten-years-and-counting sanctions regime in Iraq. The first Bush administration should have made eliminating Saddam Hussein and the Iraqi military priorities, and invaded Iraq outright in 1991. In the War on Terrorism, sanctions should not be used as preface to military force, and only rarely in any context whatsoever. Sanctions should never be expected to accomplish major objectives. In the future, sanctions may or may not be an option, depending on the strength of sovereign states. Even if sanctions are an option, however, they should not be used. Given the ineffectiveness of sanctions, diplomacy and military intervention must suffice as major tools of U.S. foreign policy. The findings of this report have relevence to American voters, the military, and politicians. If military and political accountability and openness are pursued, popular support of sanctions will wane, and the democratic process will be enhanced in the field of foreign policy.