A New Resource: ICAN: What The Women Say Brief 3: "Killing Them Softly: The Stark Impact Of Sanctions On The Lives Of Ordinary Iranians"
The brief provides a gendered perspective on the impact of sanctions on the lives of ordinary Iranians. The topic was selected based on serious concerns expressed by Iranian women's rights activists in this regard, who provided great input into the final product. The brief strives to reflect their experiences.
"The unprecedented, devastating and counterproductive impact of sanctions, coupled with the on-and-off threat of war, is an ever-growing reality in the lives of ordinary Iranians. For the generation of Iranians whose childhood was punctured by nightly bombings, fear of chemical attacks, and eight years of death and destruction resulting from the Iran-Iraq war, the current state of uncertainty, prospects of hardship and unraveling of the lives they rebuilt is overwhelming.
In New York, London, Washington and Brussels the rationale for sanctions vary. Central to the case is the notion that only crippling sanctions can slow Iran’s nuclear program and bring about change. A number of the sanctions also target state institutions and individuals implicated in human rights violations. Regardless of their political leanings, among western leaders, policymakers and pundits, no one denies that economic sanctions are blunt instruments that typically harm the civilian population far more than the state. Western policy makers, however, respond that ‘this is the price that has to be paid’--the questions of price for what, how much, how long and by whom are left hanging.
Iranians have the answers. The earliest sanctions imposed in the immediate aftermath of the 1979 Iranian revolution (and American hostage taking) had less direct impact on the public. But since 1995, when the Clinton Administration honed in on the oil and gas sector to the current day where the banking and financial sectors have been targeted, private enterprise and ordinary citizens are the primary and overwhelming victims. Needless to say, they are skeptical of western politicians or institutions that claim to care about the well being, human rights or aspirations of the Iranian populace..."
To access the complete brief, please click here
Previous briefs:
What the Women Say: The Arab Spring & Implications for Women
What the Women Say:The End of the Beginning--Tunisia’s Revolution and Fighting for the Future