North Korea, Libya, and Iran: Comparing Economic Sanction Regimes

Can sanctions slow or stop the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction? If so, when? By examining three cases in which sanctions have been used against WMD proliferators: North Korea, Libya, and Iran, Dr. Randall Newnham, of Penn State University, examines economic pressure for political purposes—trade, financial, other—under the general umbrella of sanctions; and argues that sanctions can potentially work, even when applied to difficult high-politics issues such as WMD proliferation. Indeed, he argues a number of case studies focusing specifically on WMD proliferation have shown that economic sanctions and incentives can sometimes play a role in inducing concessions. On September 15, at KEI, Dr. Newnham presented his paper discussing what conditions allowed sanctions to succeed against Libya, seemingly fail with North Korea, and what lessons these cases suggest for Iran. His presentation was followed by a robust discussion period.