Miami
10 March 2008
Iran has become a key target of U.S. and international sanctions aimed at halting the development of its nuclear program. Still, repeated efforts have been unable to stop Tehran's nuclear ambitions, showing the limitations of sanctions as a foreign policy tool. Experts also point to sanctions against Burma and Cuba as other examples where the measures have failed to achieve their goal. VOA's Brian Wagner has this report in our series on sanctions.
With the recent transfer of power from Fidel Castro to his brother, Raul, some have questioned the embargo's future. U.S. officials say lifting the measures now would appear to reward Cuba's government for maintaining its anti-democratic policies.
While imperfect, some say the embargo remains one of few tools Washington can use to pressure Cuba's government to change.
"I don't think from an academic point of view that I would be ready to give up my last piece of paper, as weak as it is, without asking for something in return," Andy Gomez, a senior fellow at the University of Miami.
U.S. officials say they recognize the need to make sanctions more effective, but they are unlikely to abandon them as a foreign policy tool any time soon.