The International Economic Sanctions And Their Aftermath On The Development Process

President Woodrow Wilson said in1919:―The nation which is embargoed is anation about to surrender, use this economic remedy, which is peaceful, fatal, and silent,without any need to use violence or power‖.Any observer of the world scene needs little efforts to realize the increasing roleof the international economic sanctions in directing the relations between the countriesand in drawing the international policy as well. A quick look on the centers ofconflicting powers, starting from Cuba in the far West to Libya and Sudan anddifferent countries in Africa, even in Syria, Iraq, Iran and the Eastern Europeancountries (Yugoslavia) till the farthest East in North Korea, this look can give a clearidea about the role of the economic sanctions in making the international changes andin directing them.We aspire to produce a research material that can serve the status quo in Syriaconcerning the successive economic sanctions, which were opposed in the eighteenthof the twentieth century and are still increasing till now. The economic sanctions`aftermath become more dangerous and more effective than before especially after thecollapse of the Soviet Union, Globalization and its consequences, and the dominationof the multi-national companies on the international markets. For these reasons, thisstudy offers a detailed look on the economic sanctions phenomena, and it answers thequestions about the consequences of the economic sanctions on the developing process.The research is based on five assumptions that form as a whole the facts which weseek to prove, these assumptions are the following:1-The policy of the economic sanctions becomesin our age one of the ways toexert a pressure on the enemy state and push it to change its behavior.2-The economic sanctions are controlled by a series of political, economic,geographical, natural and demographical factors. Knowing these factors forms the firststage in the structure of these sanctions, in this meaning; the economic sanctions arenot the same. 3-It is not necessary that the economic sanctions`aftermath causes negativeconsequences on the developing process; there are some countries which have used thesanctions to upgrade their national economy and to encourage creativity andself-dependence.4-The economic sanctions contribute in spreading and increasing the corruptionin the target state.5-Syria has been under economic sanctions since the eighteenth of the lastcentury; these sanctions immunized Syria and made it more flexible in facing thecurrent sanctions. However, the developing of the mind behind these sanctions was notfollowed by precautionary procedures that can ease the sanctions imposed by the USA.The target of our research is to prove that the first and fourth and fifthassumptions are correct, the second assumptions were partly proven while the thirdassumption was dismissed.The structure of the research was built to form three chapters; the introductorychapter shows the general structure of the research: its objects, the problems it tacklesand why the research faced these problems, the importance of the research, theprocedure followed in its undergoing, and the difficulties it had to counter. Then, thesecond chapter is dedicated to describe and present the economic sanctions, and thiswill be the intellectual gate to have a full idea about the international economicsanctions. This idea will help in moving to the third chapter. This chapter studies thefour patterns we chose in our comparative study. The systems and stages of thesanctions were analyzed in details in each pattern. Then, the study shows the mostimportant results of the sanctions, and it evaluates the consequences of the sanctions atthe end of the analysis of each pattern. Based on what we said before, we move to thefourth chapter. The chapter sheds light on the consequences of the economic sanctionsand their influence on the development process through focusing on the Syrianeconomy. We try our best to define these consequences and estimate their effect.Our study led to a group of results. The most important one is that the U.S.sanctions on Syria do not aim to isolate or embargo Syria but to exert pressure andrestrictions. In an attempt to manipulate these sanctions, we cooperate with the blackmarket and the mediator companies though these procedures cost more and give lowerquality plus they are dangerous.Above all, they also contribute in forming the ShadowEconomy. All these procedures are just kind of maneuver around the U.S. sanction, butthey do not succeed inovercoming these sanctions. This special pattern of sanctionsagainst Syria can be called, at this stage, as Creeping Sanctions System. This systemdoes not aim to hurt or intimidate the victim in the first stage; on the contrary, it tries todo the following: 1-It tries to distract the attention of the target.2-Itpushes the victim as much as possible to be careless about the sanctions.3-It gets the no-matter attitude out of the victim.Meanwhile and behind the scenes, thiscreeping sanctions system establishes astructure and network of manifold procedures, laws and legislations through whichfuture and harsher sanctions can be imposed firmly. Therefore, there is no need tohurry and get quick results. All what it needs is to have different entries in consecutivestages and keep watching and analyzing. Based on the results, other sanctions areimposed and they wait for future resultswhich will be more aggregative. At that time,the sanctions will be fruitful and it will achieve what they were made for in one strike.This leads us to conclude that the U.S. sanctions against Syria are not the targetfor the USA. Thus manipulating the sanctions should not also beour target. All of theseare only means to achieve the goals which both sides look for. In this meaning,breaking the sanctions should not be our ambition, but rather to remove the sanctionscompletely and get over any potential harm in case of increasing the sanctions.The real difficult part is that the legislator authority which approved SyriaAccountability Act is the only authority that can cancel it. This legislator hasconnected the cancelation of the act with legislator procedures similar to thosedone inapproving it.Meaning, the cancelation of the Act should be issued only by the twohouses of the Congress: the House of Representatives and the Senates. Thus any USADepartment will not be able to cancel Syria Accountability Act without the approval ofthe Congress, all USA Department can do is just to deactivate some of its items andexecutive procedures.So the only way to overcome the sanctions isthrough making these sanctions astimulating factor that motivates different defensive strategies likeenhancingself-building, localization of technology,in addition to paying special attention ondeveloping the targeted sectorsandmaking them able to cope with current and futuresanctions. Another way of overcoming the sanctions is by eliminating the sanctionscompletely through the different playing cards Syria has. Syria can play these cards inthe negotiations to cancel the sanctions, though sometimes the price can be veryexpensive or even impossible to afford.At the end of our study, we recommend some points which can help the researchersand decision makers in their attempt to understand the economic sanctions phenomenaand dealing with it in the proper way. Some of the most important recommendations:First: We cannot, at any case, wait till the sanctions are imposedto start activatingour procedures and overcome the sanctions. It is very important to fortify the economicsectors so they can handle any sanctions, it is essential to get prepared and create the proper environment to face the sanctions even before knowing that they will be imposed.Being protected against the sanctions has the biggest effect not only to overcome thembut also to avoid and deter its activation in the first place.Second: The intelligence factor plays a strategic role in the economic sanctionissue, thus there must be channels that pave the road to have an access to the circlesresponsible of making the decision, and it is important to penetrate these channels asmuch as possible to pre-estimate any future decision.Third: The neighbor and regional countries play a major role in breaking anysanctions and manipulating them easily. Thus it is very important to have goodrelations with them and to establish different economic networks with the surroundingcountries; this can help in running the business and manipulating the sanctions withoutpaying high costor involving in any blackmailing or exploitation. This can happenthrough founding local companies in the surrounding countries that can form the backgate to break any sanctions without arousing any suspicion (this is the case of theIranian companies in Dubai)Fourth: The side which imposes the sa nctions runs these sanctions throughspecialists who manage the sanction systems and develop them. So this makes itunavoidable for the objected side which will suffer from the sanctions to have a wisemanagement that overcome the sanctions like a demonstrative body or a specializedcommittees depend in their work on the three following axes:1-Planning to preserve of future sanctions.2-Planning to penetrate the sanctions and minimize their effects.3-Working on to eliminate the sanctions.4-Observing and documenting the aftermath of the sanctions, and preparing dataabout governmental and private worldwide sides which responded to the Americansanctions and applied procedures that can harm the Syrian benefits and interests.Of course it is good to mention the importance of preparing a clear media policyand to have intensive credible sources of information that can help the decision makersin finding out the proper thing to do at each stage in the proper time.Fifth: Some economic sectors are hyper-critical, and they need an intensive careto overcome the sanctions. It is a must to do double efforts to control the aftermath ofsanctions on these sectors, the most important sectors are the Exchange Rate and theReserve of the Foreign Exchange. In addition to every side that affects the daily life ofthe citizen like food, healthcare, education and habitation. The escalating of corruptionmust be stopped, especially when some sides try to take advantage of the sanctions forpersonal benefits. Besides focusing andraising the spirits of people to avoid the psychological harms that the sanctions cause, like causing chaos in the market ordestabilize the society.Sixth: While working on eliminating the sanctions, we must realize well theirbranches and their side effectson different establishments. So the efforts should not beonly based on deactivating Syria Accountability Act, but also concentrating ondeleting the name of Syria and the Syrian interests harmed by the sanctions from theAmerican lists. The most important lists are:The international Disarmament and International Security Law.The Export Administration Act of1979.The Omnibus Diplomatic Security and Antiterrorism Act of1986.Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of1986.The Anti-Drug Abuse Act of1986.The amendment of1986of Antiterrorism Act and The international DisarmamentLaw.Legal Aid Law approved in1981, which includes a special item depriving Syriaof having the USA aids.Foreign Business Operation Act and Export Exchange Directory and theconnected Program Accreditation of1991which was extended according to thecontinuation of legislation, in one of its items, it bands the monitoring or changing thecredit of eight countries (mentioned in their names) including Syria.Syria Accountability Act and the executive orders which followed and theconsecutive decisions of the USA Treasury Department.The USA Department decides to expand the sanctions against Syria in2006, andenhancing them in2007against Syrian officials the USA accused of―corruption‖.Seventh: The most important object of the economic sanctions in their differentpatterns is to weaken the infrastructure and self-development, thus Syria is at the stageof turning to the Social Market Economy, we should be aware of enhancing the role ofthe state and being protected against the future sanctions.