| This dissertation examines the impact of economic sanctions on the people of the target country. The focus of the study is the sanctions against Iraq. However, sanctions against Iran, Libya, and Yugoslavia are briefly discussed,; Seven major findings are presented. First, in general negative humanitarian consequences of sanctions will increase with the degree of dependency of the target country on outside sources for basic necessity of life.; Second, the hardship of the people will be more if the target country is dependent on one product to export.; Third, when the government is the main employer in the country, and provides for most or all civil services and public utilities, the people will be more vulnerable to the effects of sanctions.; Fourth, the more comprehensive the sanctions are, the more the hardship the people will endure.; Fifth, multilateral sanctions cause more hardship than unilateral sanctions.; Sixth, conditions in the target country prior to the imposition of sanctions highly influence the degree of hardship and suffering of the people.; Seventh, the type of political system of the target country also determines the degree of suffering of the people of that country when sanctions are imposed.; This study attempts to contribute to the debate on whether and when it is worthwhile to use sanctions, considering the risks or probabilities of tragic human consequences. Also, this study may help address whether sanctions might be applied in such a way as to target only certain areas in government policy or leaders areas of influence. In addition, this study points to the need for future studies to focus on the relationship between sanctions effectiveness and their impact on the innocent people of the target country. |
