FINAL OUTLINE SAMPLE – IRAQ SANCTIONS (Research done in mid-1990’s – outdated now, but used to show format / argument) I INTRODUCTION PARAGRAPH Hook: Grime covers Basra in southern Iraq. Dust swirls in school playgrounds and consumes children kicking a plastic ball. Locals and visitors complain about filth in their eyes and nose and throat. While they all know that American and British forces employed depleted uranium in the Gulf War of 1990-91, none of them could prevent the United Nations Security Council from imposing post-war economic sanctions on Iraq. These penalties denied the use of equipment and expertise to clean up Iraq’a contaminated battle-fields right across from the children’s parks in Basra. They also inhibited the people of Iraq from getting back on their feet. Th: The American government should lift economic sanctions against Iraq, because this policy has done more harm than good for both countries. SofO1: Various types of sanctions have been employed by the US, the UN, and the EU to deal with hostile regimes that oppose the US’s and other Western nation’s values and ways of life. (matches section II – broad, umbrella statement) SofO2: These sanctions have not accomplished stated goals, have harmed indigenous people, and have contradicted American and Western values. (matches section III – broad, umbrella statement) SofO3: While some people believe that sanctions work, better international relations and world stability can be reached through modified and reduced sanctions and improved communication with the people of oppressed / opposing cultures and philosophies. (matches section IV – broad, umbrella statement) II BACKGROUND INFORMATION (For this section, ask yourself what you need to know. I came up with the following questions for the sanctions topic. The answers to the questions will be your two background body paragraphs. -What sanctions are; which trades / businesses / products they affect; which countries imposed them on Iraq; why do countries impose sanctions? -When the Iraq War was; which countries were involved; how long it lasted; the leader of Iraq; who the coalition forces were; how the war was won; when the sanctions started; if there were any instances of Iraq or outside countries disobeying the sanctions) A. Economic sanctions are defined as the “withdrawal of customary trade and financial relations for foreign and security policy purposes” (Henley 24). Sanctions take a variety of forms, including travel bans, asset freezes, arms embargoes, capital restraints, foreign aid reductions, and trade restrictions. Governments and multinational bodies impose economic sanctions to try “to alter the strategic decisions of state and nonstate actors that threaten their interests or violate international norms of behavior” (Millers, par. 3). National governments and international bodies like the United Nations and European Union have imposed economic sanctions to coerce, deter, punish, or shame entities that endanger their interests or violate international norms of behavior. Sanctions, while a form of intervention, are generally viewed as a “lower-cost, lower-risk, middle course of action” between diplomacy and war (Millers, par. 8). Sanctions resolutions must pass the fifteen-member Council of the United Nations by a majority vote and without a veto from any of the five permanent members: the United States, China, France, Russia, and the United Kingdom. B. Prior to 1990, the Council imposed sanctions against just two states: Southern Rhodesia (1966) and South Africa (1977) (United Nations Sanctions Display, par. 12). However, since the end of the Cold War, the body has used sanctions more than twenty times, most often targeting parties to an intrastate conflict, as in Somalia, Liberia, and Yugoslavia in the 1990s (United Nations Sanctions Display, par. 13). Since 9/11, there has been a pronounced shift toward targeted or so-called “smart” sanctions, which aim to minimize the suffering of innocent civilians. The United States uses economic and financial sanctions more than any other country (Herbert 128). Sanctions policy may originate in either the executive or legislative branches. Presidents typically launch the process by issuing an executive order (EO) that declares a national emergency in response to an “unusual and extraordinary” foreign threat, such as “the proliferation of nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons” (Masters, par. 6). III EXPLORATION OF TOPIC / ARGUMENT (You only need 2 bp) A. The sanctions have not accomplished their goal. Chunk 1: Saddam Hussein is still in power Chunk 2: Chunk 3: Other dictators have withstood sanctions (Fidel Castro), so they generally don’t accomplish the intended goals. B. Rather than hurting Saddam, the sanctions only make life worse for the common people of Iraq Chunk 1: The human “cost” is high – the common people suffer health problems; cruel! Chunk 2: No economic advances / life improvement for common people = no change for Iraq Chunk 3: Population lack academic and mental improvements – a new generation of “soldiers” for Saddam C. Goes against American ideals of helping other people Chunk 1: American identity: US should support and give hope like to Nazi Germany after WWII Chunk 2: Thousands of Iraqi children die each month if sanctions continue Chunk 3: Restrictions on medicine and food hurt the poorest people first, not the dictator who needs to be removed / forced to change IV OPPOSITION BP A. Opposition: Sanctions work better than other strategies to eliminate hateful regimes Chunk 1: Sanctions are necessary to prevent Iraq from supporting terrorists and becoming a regional problem again Chunk 2: Lifting sanctions would make the U.S. look weak Chunk 3: Sanctions don’t work with authoritarian regimes – you can’t negotiate / change behaviors of madmen SOLUTIONS BP / WHAT SHOULD HAPPEN NEXT? (You only need 1 bp w/ 2 chunks) A. Solution / Recommendation for Change: Modify sanctions Chunk 1: impose a time limit for sanctions so the aggressor is motivated to change, and change in behavior of the aggressor is rewarded Chunk 2: eliminate sanctions that affect international communication – reduce brainwashing of the common people by keeping channels of communication open; apply sanction that hurt the leadership more than the people B. Solution / Recommendation for Change: Work on public relations Chunk 1: since tyrants / terrorists encourage hatred ag. US / UN, work on enlightening the population Chunk 2: no sanctions on Internet / social media → population needs access to information outside of their regime Chunk 3: Keep US / UN on the ground or in embassies if possible → connection to the people; or keep allies involved locally if not possible for US / UN V VI CONCLUSION PARAGRAPH
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