Why “Sanctions” are not the Answer, by Lalia Wilson

The United States has applied sanctions to many governments with the aim to change that government’s laws and actions. For the most part these sanctions have not been effective in changing the countries against which the sanctions are aimed, and instead cause real suffering to the people.

Since the countries involved are not modern democracies, and may not have much of a consumer economy, the people, who have very little if any power to make the changes, are the ones who suffer. Among places where people are suffering now, and their suffering would be eased if sanctions were lifted (or redesigned), are North Korea, Venezuela, and Iran. In each of those countries the people suffer and the rulers continue with their actions that cause hardship to their people.

Now there are calls to “sanction” Saudi Arabia for the horrific crime of murdering a Saudi national in the Saudi embassy in Turkey. Intelligence services in Turkey and the United States are convinced that the Saudi national, journalist Jamal Khashoggi, was tortured, murdered and dismembered at the embassy itself, by a team from Saudi Arabia directed by Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman.

In Saudi Arabia the common people have little to no say in policy matters. Any sanctions that will negatively affect the common people will cause their suffering for no good purpose. The Saudi Royal family, is an immensely wealthy (estimated at $1.4 trillion) group of 15,000 members. However foreign policy experts say that the majority of the power and wealth is possessed by a group of about 2,000 of them. Those 2,000 people are the only ones who determine domestic and foreign policy in the Kingdom. Any sanctions needs to be targeted to those 2,000 people.

Here are my suggestions. Announce that any Saudi journalists who wish to immigrate to the U.S.A. will get green cards as well as their immediate family members who accompany them. This will bring transparency to the maneuvers of the royal family and circulate that information to all the people of the Kingdom (via the internet). There would be so many journalists now in America that any moves against them individually would not stop the exposés. Also, any moves against them would immediately fall under American law with all the remedies available therein.

Secondly I would target economic sanctions to the royal family of Saudi Arabia. I would freeze their financial accounts in all banks doing business in the United States. I would tax their profits on any US sales at 100%, and audit the books of all companies with which they earn those profits no matter which country the business calls home, so as to make sure the taxes are paid. A further action, which I’m not sure the US would do because of the precedent, is to make those financial records publicly available. Then the people of Saudi Arabia would know more about their leaders’ actions, as would the world.

I would maintain the green card policy for Saudi journalists for at least one year, but have an expiration date. For the economic sanctions I would require some official action by Saudi Arabia that assumes responsibility for the death of Khashoggi, provides reparations to his family, and penalizes the Crown Prince. (I have my doubts about the death penalty for the team sent under orders from the Crown Prince. Is it right to execute them for following orders?)

In summary, I am suggesting several ways to open up the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to scrutiny and sanctions targeted to the people who are the decision-makers.