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The May/June 1999 issue of "Foreign Affairs" contains two lengthy essays on the sanctions in Iraq (thanks to Khaled Elgindy for the tip -- abstracts below). The most memorable observation (p. 51) is that these "economic sanctions may well ... (have) caused the the deaths of more people in Iraq than have been slain by all so-called weapons of mass destruction throughout history." The comparison figure includes all victims of gas attacks during World War I (and since), plus all victims of the blasts at Hiroshima and Nasgasaki. "Foreign Affairs" (www.foreignaffairs.org) is a prestigious academic journal with a surprisingly large mass-market distribution. --- Abstracts follow: SANCTIONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION by John Mueller and Karl Mueller As Cold War threats have diminished, so-called weapons of mass destruction -- nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons and ballistic missiles -- have become the new international bugbears. The irony is that the harm caused by these weapons pales in comparison to the havoc wreaked by a much more popular tool: economic sanctions. Tally up the casualties caused by rogue states, terrorists, and unconventional weapons, and the number is surprisingly small. The same cannot be said for deaths inflicted by international sanctions. The math is sobering and should lead the United States to reconsider its current policy of strangling Iraq. GETTING IT BACKWARD ON IRAQ by F. Gregory Gause III The Clinton administration supports crippling economic sanctions that punish the Iraqi people but seems ready to live with the demise of international inspections to monitor Saddam Hussein's nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons programs. Washington has it exactly backward. It should offer Baghdad a blunt trade: lightened sanctions in return for renewed, intrusive arms inspections. The sweeping sanctions regime does nothing to advance U.S. interests, undermine Saddam, or contain Iraq. Leaving Saddam's arsenal unwatched is folly. Better to have arms inspections without sanctions than sanctions without arms inspections. -- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- This is a discussion list run by Campaign Against Sanctions on Iraq. To be removed/added, email soc-casi-discuss-request@lists.cam.ac.uk, NOT the whole list. Archived at http://linux.clare.cam.ac.uk/~saw27/casi/discuss.html