Natural Resources and Violent Conflict - WaterWiki.net

174 winer and roulethose within the regime. 14 By contrast, sanctions imposed on Iraq afterthe Gulf War did not bring about regime change or attenuate the powerof Iraq’s military ruler, as the Iraqi regime was able to sell enormousquantities of oil illegally despite the sanctions. Similarly, sanctions havedone little to stop the conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Inneither case did the limitations on the sale of commodities stop the conflictor bring about regime change. In the South Africa case, the sanctionsdid not prevent the government from exporting large quantitiesof the country’s most important commodity: diamonds. Serbia hadno commodities to exploit. The comprehensive UN sanctions on Iraqand the Democratic Republic of Congo did not prevent security andmilitary forces from selling enough commodities to sustain themselvesirrespective of sanctions. There have also been extraordinarily fewprosecutions or seizures of assets of entities or persons engaged evenin systematic violations of sanctions, rendering enforcement risks lowand enforcement action largely symbolic.As has been commonly observed, broad sanctions imposing barrierson trade can reduce the funds available to regimes engaged in conflictbut require active support from many, if not most or all, countries tobe effective (Cortright and Lopez 2002; Hufbauer, Schott, and Elliott1990). Such sanctions certainly have not prevented exploitation ofnatural resources when the legitimate market for the commodity is ofsubstantial size and scope. Other limitations on effectiveness includethe limited capacity of some governments and the impact of corruptionand criminality in facilitating illicit activity.Sectoral Embargoes. Asmall number of commodities are widelyviewed to be incompatible with social stability in general and are subjectto international embargo, with limited exceptions for commercialor military use. These mainly include illicit drugs, especially opiumand coca derivatives, certain forms of weaponry, and some precursormaterials that can be used to create weapons of mass destruction. Ofthese, narcotics and nuclear material controls are most relevant to thisstudy, as each is a prohibited commodity.Sectoral embargoes on illicit narcotics, military weapons, and theprecursors of weapons of mass destruction have established globalstandards and norms that have, for all practical purposes, eliminatedany lawful commercial market for these products. Those participatingin buying or selling embargoed goods face substantial criminal as wellas civil penalties in almost every country. Most countries cooperate wellwith one another in investigating violations of sectoral sanctions and,in general, are willing to extradite violators. Over time, most persons