Embargos, Iran and Cuba.............?

[BlueStreak]

Can anybody tell me what good they've done anyways?

Dave

[finnbow]

They brought Iran to the bargaining table over nuclear weapons. As for Cuba, none.

[Boreas]

Embargoes and sanctions almost invariably harm the wrong people. Apartheid era South Africa and post-ODS Iraq are but two examples.

[mpholland]

They've done a pretty good job of giving those countries citizens a reason to hate us.

[Rex E.]

Originally Posted by mpholland

They've done a pretty good job of giving those countries citizens a reason to hate us.

Yes....excellent for the war effort.....

[Oerets]

What is the other option? Boots on the ground bombs in the air?

Do nothing or try embargoes and sanctions. But there needs to be a fine line between to tough and or loop holes.


Barney

[Dondilion]

Once a reality they become difficult to lift.

The system can be easily manipulated by a few people.

[BlueStreak]

Consider the two countries in question;

Cuba........Has it forced the Communist government to it's knees?

Nope, not at all.

Iran....... Has it forced the Theocracy to break up?

Nope, not at all.

As John pointed out, these things usually harm the wrong people. It harms the people, the leaders still lack for nothing.

[Tom Joad]

Originally Posted by BlueStreak

Cuba........Has it forced the Communist government to it's knees?

What do you mean?

It only took 50 years of it to force Fidel to step aside.

[Rajoo]

This is a Catch-22. Do nothing and it only emboldens the dictators. Putin comes to mind for his annexation of a part of Ukraine, flight MH17, etc. Embargo's on Cuba, Burma did not yield much other than impoverishing them. With Iran one can claim that it has brought them to the negotiating table but if it was not nuclear arms related, probably nothing would have changed. In the end proves that changes have to come from the inside and cannot be forced upon.