After the Gulf War, The United Nations voted to place an economic blockade on Iraq - isolating the country by limiting the goods that it can buy and sell. The goal of these sanctions was to weaken Iraq and cause Saddam Hussein, the leader, to stop his military practices - purchasing and building weapons, bombing parts of his own country and being generally aggressive. Gustafson served eight months in the Gulf War before returning to the US in 1992 to pursue a degree at the University of Wisconsin. Upon returning to Iraq in 1997 on a humanitarian mission, Gustafson was moved by the intolerable suffering he witnessed. He has since become a tireless opponent of the economic sanctions and is currently working with members of Congress on a legislative initiative to lift the sanctions.
Sanctions are a blunt and failed instrument.
The United Nations economic blockade on Iraq represents the most comprehensive sanctions ever imposed on a nation in modern history. In 1995, Iraq spent 22 times LESS on civilian imports than it did in 1989. The impact of severe hardships and scarcity, compounded by the collapse of public services, has been disastrous. Since 1991, over half a million children are believed to have died in Iraq as a result of economic sanctions. In addition, the U.S. war on Iraq represents the longest continuous bombing campaign since the Vietnam War, killing 143 civilians last year.