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Source: http://www.brookings.edu/articles/2010/01_iran_sanctions_maloney.aspx
Sanctioning Iran: If Only It Were So Simple
(Brookings Institution) Suzanne Maloney - Unfortunately, the prospect of crippling the Iranian economy is a fallacy. The key prerequisites for a successful sanctions-centric approach - protracted duration and broad adherence - are almost certainly unattainable in this case. As a result, despite Iran's economic liabilities and its deeply divided polity, the recent embrace of sanctions by many in Washington represents a dangerous illusion. Economic pressure may have a role to play in persuading Tehran of the utility of dialogue, but as the primary tool of U.S. policy, punitive measures will not succeed in solving U.S. concerns about the Iranian regime and its behavior. If the Obama administration is going to blunt Iran's nuclear ambitions without the use of force, negotiations remain the tool of choice. The writer is a senior fellow in foreign policy at the Saban Center for Middle East Policy at the Brookings Institution.