Experience is the best teacher — Proverb

Proverb be (*)(*)(*)(*)ed, UN Security Council members are remembering to forget the catastrophic consequences of the sanctions imposed on Iraq after the invasion of Kuwait; a French diplomat has said a draft resolution for further sanctions against Iran is "imminent."
The Iraqi sanctions had a dual purpose
1) to "contain" the threat posed by Saddam Hussein
2) to make life uncomfortable for regular Iraqis, which "would eventually encourage them to remove President Saddam Hussein from power."
The threat Saddam Hussein posed was "contained" successfully enough to warrant an unprovoked US military invasion in 2003. As for the Iraqi people, it is estimated that near half a million Iraqi children died as a result of the imposed sanctions. When Clinton's Secretary of State Madeleine Albright was asked if all those children's lives were "a price worth paying," she responded, "this is a very hard choice, but we think the price is worth it."
Some of us happen to disagree.

It is unlikely that the Iranian sanctions, which the French diplomat said would be "very balanced, very firm," will be as strict as those imposed on Iraq, which are considered by many to be the toughest in history. It is likely, however, that they will be equally ineffective.
Iran has insisted international penalties will not halt its program. Additionally, further alienation and isolation will only add further incentive to the development of Iran's nuclear program.
First: their stated intention for the program — energy production — will become more desirable if they are cut off from the international community.
Second: the feared intention — the development of nuclear arms — will become a means of keeping the foreign wolves at bay, the need for which will be evident.
In light of the US intelligence report which concluded that the nuclear weapons program was halted in 2003, it seems incredible that the international community would seek a path that may prompt a resumption of that program.
At this point, it looks as though China will continue its opposition to sanctions against Iran, on whom it is increasingly dependent for its energy needs. Their opposition seems to be the only obstacle for the forthcoming resolution. If the Chinese do give in to international pressure and accept the new sanctions, it will be an ominous sign of what's to come.
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