Susan Waltz and Hossam Abouzahr (MPP ’10) have collaborated on an op-ed, published earlier today in the Atlantic Council’s SyriaSource blog, on “Sanctions as a viable action in a complicated environment.”
The House of Representatives, they explain, will soon consider the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act, which seeks to extend U.S. sanctions.
“For several decades already, Syria has been subject to a wide range of U.S. sanctions, dating back to its 1979 designation as a sponsor of terrorism,” they write. “The newly proposed legislation builds on this robust sanctions regime.”
“It reiterates—and embeds in law—regulations already in place. It also takes aim at the Government of Syria’s civilian-targeting tactics, and defines specific human rights violations that trigger the sanctions,” they write.
“The most ground breaking aspect of the proposed legislation is that it would give U.S. officials an explicit mandate to impose sanctions beyond the normal reach of U.S. law, extending them to “foreign persons” who are knowingly providing significant financial, material, or technological support to the Government of Syria.”
Read more at “Sanctions as a viable action in a complicated environment.”
Hossam Abouzahr, a 2010 graduate of the Ford School, directs and edits the Atlantic Council’s SyriaSource blog. Susan Waltz is a scholar and practitioner in the field of international human rights.