Iraq-US: Carrot & Stick

11 May 2001 In the run-up to the expected showdown at the UN in three weeks, when the current ninth phase of the Iraqi oil-for-food program ends, US State Department officials have embarked on intensive consultations with their four fellow permanent Security Council members on the ideas for “smart sanctions” the Americans intend to propose in the UN resolution covering the program’s 10th phase. The proposals, expounded to the French,…

Iraq-India: Special Friends

15 December 2000 A deal reached with India last month could set the ball rolling for a new type of arrangement between Baghdad and “friendly countries.” In return for the award of an exploration contract in the western desert, India could trade wheat and rice for Iraqi oil outside the UN oil-for-food program, Iraqi sources say. New Delhi is now talking to the UN about applying for a sanctions waiver,…

Neighborly Trade

23 June 2000 Iraq’s trade relations with its Arab neighbors are flourishing. Businessmen from around the region are flocking to Baghdad. Bustling trade fairs reminiscent of the days before sanctions are back. Viewed regionally, economic sanctions seem to be crumbling, as Iraq wends its way back into the Arab economic – although not yet the diplomatic – arena. Since the inauguration of the United Nations oil-for-Food program in 1996 first…