Sanctions on Iraq: CASI's bibliography

General works on economic sanctions

Eric Hoskins, 'The Truth Behind Economic Sanctions', in Ramsey Clark et al., War Crimes: A Report on United States War Crimes against Iraq (Washington, D.C: Maisonneuve Press, 1992)
Eric Hoskins was the Medical Coordinator for the Gulf Peace Team which carried out an extensive health assessment in Iraq during 1991. He describes the humanitarian crisis in Iraq and discusses how the theoretical exemption of medical and food supplies from sanctions was not being applied in practice.

Fran Hazelton (ed.), Iraq Since the Gulf War: prospects for democracy (London: Zed Books, 1994)
Published for the Committee Against Repression and for Democratic Rights in Iraq, this book is a collection of articles by prominent opposition Iraqis on different aspects of Iraq since the Gulf War. Among the relevant articles are: 'Human Rights, Sanctions and Sovereignty' in which Laith Kubba argues that sanctions without other measures to topple Saddam do more harm than good; 'Attitudes to the West, Arabs and Fellow Iraqis' (Ayad Rahim) which gives a valuable though anecdotal insight into attitudes and aspirations of ordinary Iraqis; and an article by Abbas Alnasrawi on the Iraqi economy.

Geoffrey Leslie Simons, The Scourging of Iraq: sanctions, law and natural justice , 2nd edn (Basingstoke: Macmillan, 1998)
The most comprehensive book on the sanctions, it contains much useful information and includes appendices of relevant Security Council Resolutions and other documents. (see here for ordering)

Center for Economic and Social Rights, UNsanctioned Suffering (1996)
Influential report on the humanitarian crisis in Iraq, by an international team of 24 health experts, lawyers and economists who visited Iraq in 1996. Details a collapsed economy, crippled health and sanitation infrastructure, and a largely ineffective oil-for-food scheme. Questions the legality of the economic sanctions regime, and makes specific recommendations to the Security Council.

Margaret P. Doxey, International sanctions in comparative perspective, 2nd edn (Basingstoke: Macmillan 1996)
Provides a valuable theoretical and comparative background to the Iraqi sanctions as well as extensive treatment of the Iraqi case itself.

The Iraqi Economy

Abbas Alnasrawi, The economy of Iraq: oil, wars, destruction of development and prospects, 1950-2010 (Westport, Conn.: 1994)
In 1979, Iraq's per capita GDP was $4219. In 1993 it was only $485, comparable to 1940s levels. Alnasrawi explores the causes of this 'nullification of nearly half a century of growth', tracing Iraq's economic development and the damage done to it by the two Gulf Wars and subsequent economic sanctions. His view of Iraq's future prospects is bleak.

Peter Boone, Haris Gazdar and Athar Hussain (for the Center of Economic and Social Rights), Sanctions against Iraq: Costs of Failure (November 1997)
Reports on the 1996 trip by LSE economists to Iraq. Focuses on macroeconomic impact, wages, and the government's rationing system, which they claim has prevented mass starvation. Briefly reviews the oil-for-food programme and the possible alternatives to sanctions, criticising the reasons given by the US and UK for continuing with a programme of comprehensive sanctions.

Economist Intelligence Unit publications
The EIU issues several publications on the economic and political situation in Iraq, among them the Country Profile (yearly), Country Report (quaterly), Country Risk Service (quaterly) and Country Forecasts (twice yearly with updater in each intervening quater). They provide economic analysis and discussion of the political scene both domestically and internationally. This includes assessment of the impact of sanctions. The Country Forecast also makes a five-year macroeconomic projection.

Health and Welfare under economic sanctions

S. Zaida and M. Fazwi, 'Health of Baghdad's Children', The Lancet, 346 (2 Dec 1995), 1485.
FAO researchers describe the methodology and results of a 1995 FAO survey of nutritional status and mortality among under-fives in Baghdad. They found 'a strong association between economic sanctions and increase in child mortality and malnutrition rates' and estimated that between 1990 and 1995, 567,000 children have died because of sanctions. The editorial in the same issue calls for the collation and publication of a dossier of all assessments of health in Iraq, arguing that the world's peoples must be aware of the consequences of the sanctions that are imposed in their name and asking that a way be found to prevent Iraq from rearming without penalising its people.

Letters: The Lancet , 347 (20 Jan 1996), 198-200.
The response to the Zaidi-Fawzi letter, including a discussion of the results with a reply from the authors; a report by Omar A Obeid and Abdul-Hussein Al-Hadi on their own research into nutritional status of under-twos in Baghdad; a Japanese perspective pointing out that the huge reparations Germany had to pay after the First World War triggered Hitler's rise, whereas the generous treatment of Japan after WW2 led it to accept democracy; and two letters arguing that the Iraqi regime is to blame for any humanitarian crisis.

International Study Team, Health and Welfare in Iraq after the Gulf Crisis: An In-Depth Assessment from August, 1991 (1991)
The report of the first large independent and interdisciplinary mission (87 researchers) to Iraq; they are funded by Unicef, the MacArthur Foundation, the John Merck Fund and Oxfam-UK. Their report ranges from mortality and nutrition to child psychology and interviews with women.

Jean Dreze and Haris Gazdar, 'Hunger and Poverty in Iraq, 1991', World Development , 20(7) (1992), 921-945
The report of the economists on the International Study Team. They praise the Iraqi distribution system as equitable and efficient but note that Iraq's dependence on imports left it unable to prevent famine conditions during the bombing and considerable hardship subsequently.

The Harvard Study Team, 'The effect of the Gulf crisis on the children of Iraq', New England Journal of Medicine, 325 (1991), 977-980
Doctors and public health specialists reporting on damage done to Iraq's health infrastructure as a result of the Gulf conflict. Destruction of infrastructure has caused the effects of bombing to be devastating.

WHO report on the Health Conditions of the Population of Iraq (March 1996)
http://www.who.int/eha/resource/pubs/000396.html
Compares pre- & post-war health, looking at child malnutrition, maternal and child health, the malaria epidemic, and other infectious diseases. Also reviews other effects of sanctions, including the impact on GNP and the food situation. Directly attributes the severe nutritional and health problems to sanctions.

UNICEF, Situation Analysis of Children and Women in Iraq - 1997 (April 1998)
ftp://www2.unicef.org/pub/iraqsa
Examines the extent to which child rights are being protected in Iraq, focusing especially on malnutrition, education, health, water supply and gender equity. It catalogues the way in which these have deteriorated since the imposition of sanctions, with no real improvement under oil-for-food.

UNICEF nutritional status survey of October and November 1997 Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS) carried out by Unicef and the Iraqi Ministry of Health reveals almost a million Iraqi children to be malnourished, a third of Iraq's children. Little difference between rural and urban areas is found.

UN World Food Programme, Protracted Relief and Recovery Operations - Iraq, 21 December 1998.
http://www.wfp.org/eb_public/EB.1_99_English/682e98.pdf
Details the WFP plan to provide nutritional supplements to over one million of the most vulnerable Iraqis (malnourished children and their families and those in hospitals and other institutions). It identifies the "massive deterioration" of infrastructure as the main reason for continuing nutritional problems.

H.N. Barnouti, Letter from Iraq: Effect of sanctions on surgical practice, British Medical Journal, 313 (7 Dec 1996), 1474-5
The author, an assistant professor of surgery at the Al-Mustansyriya Medical School, Baghdad, describes the severe effects of shortages of drugs and other medical supplies on surgical operations and staff morale.

M. al-Farekh, A physician's eyewitness report in Iraq [letter], The Lancet 345 (13 May 1995), 1242
The author, who visited seven medical centres throughout Iraq, describes the shortage of very basic medical supplies and the resultant deterioration of medical care that he saw.

Lori Buck, Nicole Gallant and Kim Richard Nossal, 'Sanctions as a gendered instrument of statecraft: the case of Iraq', Review of International Studies, 24 (1998), 69-84
Uses secondary data to assess the differential impact of economic sanctions on women in Iraq.

The Oil for food programme

Report of the UN Secretary-General of 1 February 1998 (S/1998/90)
http://www.un.org/Depts/oip/reports/01feb98.html
Looks at the problems encountered in the efficient operation of the oil-for-food programme, and puts in place an altered system for approving imports into Iraq. The report is especially concerned with the dire status of Iraq's electricity sector. Calls for expanded assistance to address the humanitarian situation, in light of the health and nutritional status of the Iraqi population.

Report of the UN Secretary-General of 19 November 1998 (S/1998/1100)
http://www.un.org/Depts/oip/reports/180day4.html
Detailed review of the implementation of the oil-for-food programme. Specific focuses are the UN observation and monitoring system in place in Iraq, and the food, health, water, agriculture, electricity and education sectors. Draws attention to how the low oil prices have prevented the fulfillment of the distribution plan .Malnutrition is reported to have stabilised at one quarter of the child population in South/Centre Iraq

Report of the UN Secretary-General of 22 February 1999 (S/1999/187)
http://www.un.org/Depts/oip/reports/90day5.htm
Detailed review of the implementation of the oil-for-food programme. Major problem addressed is the shortfall in humanitarian funding due to the low price for oil. A secondary problem is the difficulties encountered in distributing humanitarian goods brought into the country, especially in the medical and sanitation sectors. Delays at the Sanctions Committee in approving exports are identified and criticised.

Statement by Benon V. Sevan, Executive Director of the Iraq Programme to the Security Council, 25 February 1999.
http://www.un.org/Depts/oip/latest/benonfeb25.html
Focuses on funding limitations due to low oil price, and problems in the electricity and transport sectors. Detailed annexes outline where the funds of oil-for-food go, and the blockages encountered at the UN Sanctions Committee.


For any comments, queries, or suggested additions or alterations, please contact Glen Rangwala gr10009@cam.ac.uk.


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