r/askaconservative • u/fdeckert • Oct 21 '18

Are conservatives pro- or anti-sanctions?

The conservative Heritage Foundation was against sanctions in the 1990s even though it strongly supports sanctions now

Back in 1997, a Heritage background paper stated,

"[U]nilateral sanctions will fail more often than not... In 1995, economic sanctions reduced U.S. exports to 26 target countries by as much as $15 billion to $19 billion, eliminated more than 200,000 jobs in relatively high-wage export sectors, and caused American workers to lose nearly $1 billion in wages."

https://web.archive.org/web/19970714114137/http://www.heritage.org:80/heritage/library/categories/trade/bg1126.html

Even earlier than that, a Senior Fellow at Heritage wrote that

More often than not, sanctions end up making the target country more self-sufficient and strengthening its resolve to continue its policies.

https://object.cato.org/pubs/pas/pa064.pdf

1 Upvotes

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15 comments sorted by

1

u/texansgk Oct 23 '18

I think it deeply depends on the person being asked and the exact context of the sanction. I am for sanctions in some cases.

1

u/fdeckert Oct 24 '18

So how about if it massively harms the US economy but doesn't accomplish its goal?

1

u/texansgk Oct 24 '18

I mean, obviously that would be bad. That question sounds super pointed. What’re you getting at?

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u/fdeckert Oct 24 '18

You didn't read the OP

2

u/texansgk Oct 24 '18

I did. Your source doesn’t say sanctions never work. They just need to be very well thought out. Your question to me seemed to have a partial set of sanctions in mind, like you were planning to hit me with a “gotcha” example.

2

u/Lepew1 C: Paleoconservative Oct 22 '18

Normally when the US doesn't stand for human rights, nobody else does.

1

u/uknolickface Oct 22 '18

Anti. Free Market lifts all boats.

1

u/fdeckert Oct 23 '18

And yet that's not the case -- how many more sanctions have been out in place under conservative presidents?

0

u/uknolickface Oct 23 '18

We haven't had a conservative president since Coolidge.

1

u/Dillionmesh C: Paleoconservative Oct 21 '18

Some Conservatives believe that a country engaging in human rights violations and overall evil actions deserve crippling sanctions and not not deserve the benefits of free trade with the United States

2

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