Isolating countries like Sryia work?

[cynatnite]

It seems like for years they've talked about it, but it doesn't seem to change the governments. Syria is still Syria...Iran is still Iran and so on.

Is it just me or isn't it time to try something new?

[SensibleAmerican]

1. It's worked for Cuba

In as much as everybody clamors for free trade with countries like China etc., our embargo on Cuba has pretty much bankrupted that country. No longer do we have to worry about an attack from Cuba's military. To an extent, this same logic extends to North Korea. North Korea may have a couple of nukes but they know if they use it their country will be wiped off the map in a couple of days.

The same thing cannot be said for China or 1980s Iraq. Free trade with China is will enable China to have a military budget greater than ours in a few years time. Trading with Iraq led to the Gulf War and the War in Iraq today. Face it, embargoes save lives by averting war.

[Poll_Blind]

2. I don't think so. Here's why we're hosed, and BADLY hosed at that:

When we say "isolate Syria" we mean isolate them from U.S. or, at best, North American and European trade. This would not affect them very much- what vacuum would be created would be gladly filled by the Russians and Chinese who, if you haven't caught it, are doing a great job supplying Syria and Iran with weapons technology and likely political advisors as well.

  Specifically, speaking about the Chinese now. They have beaten us at our own game. While they are not Japan, they still own hundreds of billions of our debt that we (America) spent to continue to feed our very hungry, very strong defense industries. Basically they have been buying our debt. I won't go into the complications of having to essentially borrow (with interest) staggering sums of money from sworn ideological enemies but you can guess.

China owns more than 323 BILLION of U.S. debt

  And they're still buying it up. Why use tanks and soldiers when you can sell off those Treasury Securities and deal us a more crippling blow than a single nuclear weapon. Also, you drop a nuke or invade and you galvanize the American populace against you. You sell off our Treasury Bonds and you use capitalism as a very deadly weapon against an economy.

PB

[wakeme2008]

3. Shit I have new pants made in Syria.. GET REAL

the US Corps are already having products made there.

[Igel]

4. "Containment" is usually a failing proposition.

Cuba, Iran, N. Korea ...

It "worked" in S. Africa because the apartheid government developed a soft side.