She says this would amount to a secondary boycott in which those doing business with warring sides could face sanctions themselves. This is the situation facing some African nations and Bulgaria, which were cited in a recent Security Council report on sanctions violations in Angola. For human rights organizations, the Security Council debate is coming at a crucial time. A senior official with Human Rights Watch, Reed Brody, says sanctions are starting to evoke negative connotations because of the impact of the Iraqi sanctions on the civilian population. He supports the notion of targeted sanctions and says they can be an effective part of a balanced international approach to changing the behavior of regimes.
Sanctions can be very effective if they're targeted right.
We've seen in the past where the multilateral imposition of sanctions contributed to the end of the apartheid regime in South Africa. We've seen when U.S. sanctions helped build pressure and hasten the downfall of the Argentine military junta in the 80s.