Will International Sanctions Help Syrians? (NPR)
Senior fellow Kim Elliott was interviewed by NPR on the effect of sanctions on Syria.
From the Interview
A package of tough new economic sanctions imposed this week by the Arab League is another blow to the government of Syrian President Bashar Assad. But will international pressure really help the people of Syria? Melissa Block talks with Kimberly Ann Elliott, a senior fellow at the Center for Global Development. Elliott co-authored a case study on sanctions against Syria that was published by the Peterson Institute.
GUY RAZ, HOST:
Now, more on those economic sanctions imposed by the Arab League. It is an unprecedented action for the league to take against a member state, and that's after suspending Syria's participation in the regional group.
MELISSA BLOCK, HOST:
These new sanctions follow those already imposed by the United States and the European Union. So what are the effects? Kimberly Elliott has studied the impact of sanctions against Syria. She's a senior fellow at the Center for Global Development here in Washington. Thanks for coming in.
KIMBERLY ELLIOTT: Thank you, Melissa.
BLOCK: Why don't you walk us through just what these new sanctions imposed by the Arab League are intended to do.
ELLIOTT: Well, the new sanctions, first of all, ban travel by Syrian officials, government officials. They freeze some of their assets that are held in Arab countries. They ban funding for projects in Syria with the government. And then they also - and this is kind of a new sanction and I think untested - they banned transactions with the central bank, which could have far-reaching effects on Syria's ability to finance trade, as well as investment and other transactions.
