Editorial of the ” World “. While the war in Syria is nearing its end, the international sanctions continue to pile up on the country. A new arsenal of punitive damages that the United States should thus enter into force Wednesday, June 17.
Baptised act “Caesar” in honor of the photographer-the syrian army who revealed the crimes perpetrated on an industrial scale in the jails of Bashar Al-Assad, the sanctions to “secondary” are intended not only Syrians, but people or third-party entities, of all nationalities, who provide support in power. This new text aims to increase the isolation of Damascus, in the hope of leading to a transition to a State of law.
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The european Union, for its part, has renewed on may 28, the measures taken against Syria in 2011, in response to the bloody crackdown on protests against Assad. The black list of Brussels includes all the syrian regime’s account of the killers, torturers, to prevent secret and businessmen predators. Banks, businesses, and state bodies are also under sanctions, even whole sectors, such as oil, placed under embargo.
Out of this debate binary
For the syrian authorities and their allies, these restrictive measures are similar to the ” State terrorism “. American and European praise, on the contrary, a targeted system, referring only to law enforcement capacity and funding of the Assad regime with humanitarian exemptions.
It must come out of this debate binary. The lifting of unilateral all of the sanctions, on the grounds that the Assad regime has won the war and that it is necessary to resume language with the master of the country, would be a political mistake. Westerners have no interest in depriving them of their main, if not only, lever of pressure on Damascus.
But it is time to recognize the damage that can cause these devices to be well-meaning in a population already very sorely tested. The same remark applies mainly to the United States. Brought to its paroxysm, the law of Caesar risk of placing Syria under an economic blockade potentially tragic. It is the responsibility of humanitarian organizations to put in place a mechanism for the collection and analysis of the impact of this legislation is particularly aggressive.
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The EU is not immune to criticism. Its sanctions sector and those adopted by the United States prior to the law of Caesar have created ” a chilling effect “. Economic actors foreigners tend to steer away from Syria, because of the extra costs and administrative headaches that leads to the management of a client potentially at risk.
realistic Goals
Import computers or replace parts of a medical device can now take months. Access to the international banking system application of ingenuity. The scope of application of humanitarian exemptions is limited to the medical and the food. It should be extended to the rehabilitation of power infrastructure, schools and hospitals.
But, more importantly, if the european sanctions and the united states have meant to be something other than a pavlovian or incantations moral, they must be accompanied by realistic goals. Rather than require a political transition that is more plausible, Brussels and Washington should propose a relief gradual of some of their measures in return for concessions that are easily identifiable, such as the release of prisoners. Diplomacy, like politics, must be the art of the possible.
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