>Does the left have a consistent policy on sanctions? With South Africa, we
>derided "constructive engagement" as being a tool for apartheid and an
>excuse for corporate expansion, calling for nothing less than absolute
>sanctions and total divestment (even if that did cause some short-term
>economic difficulty). But then liberals (and some on the real left) seem to
>support something which seems very much like "constructive engagement" for
>Iraq, Cuba, etc. etc.
>
>I'm aware that the motives are different in each case. But is there a way of
>framing this so that the public doesn't get confused about where we stand?
Well, as several people have pointed out, the ANC asked for sanctions, and it's hard to find an Iraqi who has. Same with boycotts. Anti-sweatshop activists, for example, have explicitly come out against boycotts because the workers invovled don't endorse them.
Doug