20 November 2007
Statecraft 101: Sanctions
A Waseda University professor makes an interesting but light call for Japan to wake up to the reality of its current relation with Burma and stop sending mixed signals. I'm curious where you guys fall on the utility of sanctions question. Many nowadays are siding with the soft power argument for continued engagement—the slow play that hopefully leads to openness and reform in repressive regimes. Still others are throwing the divestment and shareholder activism card pretty confidently.
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hhhmm this is a tough one. generally speaking i would say that any national regime that sought to distance itself from the the global caspitalist order is going to have to do so with some sacrifice to democracy if not with the use of force. we have seen countless times how directly or indirectly the world community has made sure pro-business parties 'win' the democratic vote. Not to say that i support all instances of distancing from international norms (in this case myanmar) but that to have a strict sanctions policy whenever a nation defies the normative values of the international community is shit. would you much rather not have allowed the soviet experiment in 1917 having the world send in even more troops to quash the red menace?
ReplyDeletei dont know