SANCTIONED COUNTRIES

It's not a good idea to get on the United States' bad side. As the wealthiest country in the world,
the U.S. also lays claim to the world's most powerful military. But military might is nothing
compared to the repercussions that economic sanctions from the U.S. can bring about.
Economic sanctions are a popular way for large governments to exert their disapproval over one
another. While wars are costly both economically and politically economic sanctions tend to
be somewhat less tangible, at least for the country doing the sanctioning. But for the country
being sanctioned, the results can be enormous and long lasting. Right now, six countries are
being sanctioned.
1. Burma
The Southeast Asian nation of Burma also known as the Union of Myanmar is one of
the countries that the U.S. has placed sanctions on for human rights and political reasons.
The country is ruled by a military junta, a committee of military leaders that makes
political decisions for the country of 50 million. In charge is Senior General Than Shwe,
the head of state who made the number-four spot in Parade Magazine's 2009 list
of World's Worst Dictators.
U.S. sanctions prohibit investment into Burma, restrict the financial resources of the
ruling military junta and disallow U.S. imports of Burmese products, as well as U.S.
exports of financial services to the country. However, General License No. 14-B
allows not-for-profit humanitarian and religious organizations in Burma to receive U.S.
funding.
2. Cte d'Ivoire
The West African nation Cte d'Ivoire (or the Ivory Coast, in English) is another country
that's being sanctioned by the U.S. government for human rights violations. In the 1970s,
Cte d'Ivoire was home to Africa's strongest economies thanks to booming coffee and
cocoa exports, but an economic decline through the 1980s and 1990s brought about social
problems that eventually lead to civil war in 1999. The country is still in conflict, with
both sides of the fight charged with numerous human rights violations.
As a result, U.S. sanctions prohibit trade with people or organizations who provide arms
or assistance to Cte d'Ivoire. (Learn the contract specifications for a few of the most
heavily traded commodities, in The Sweet Life of Soft Markets.)
3. Cuba
one of the U.S.'s longest-standing and most well-known sanctions is against one of our
neighbors to the south: Cuba. In February, 1959, Fidel Castro became Prime Minister of
Cuba, unseating a post-revolution Cuban government that was favored by the United
States (ironically, the previous Batista regime was defeated in part because of a U.S.
imposed arms embargo). Since the Cuban dictator took power, the U.S. has had trade

embargoes in place as a punishment for impediments to democratic rule.

While Americans aren't generally allowed to trade or travel with Cuban interests, the
close geographic proximity (and large Cuban-American population) have ensured that a
number of exemptions exist for humanitarian work and visiting relatives
4. Iran
Following the Iranian Revolution, where the Western-friendly Shah of Iran was deposed
in favor of a theocratic government, the Iranian Hostage Crisis and other ensuing events
pushed the U.S. to levy a trade embargo on the Middle Eastern nation.
5. North Korea
North Korea is arguably the country most brutally affected by U.S. economic sanctions.
North Korea's battles with the U.S. started in the 1950s with the United States' entry into
the Korean War a move designed to counter the USSR's support for a unified,
communist Korea. Today, North and South Korea continue to technically be at war (albeit
under a ceasefire since 1953), and the U.S. maintains stringent trade restriction on the
country
6. Syria
As one of the nations that former U.N. Ambassador John Bolton named as "beyond the
axis of evil," Syria has had contentious relations with the United States because of its
position as a sponsor of terrorism. As a result, the U.S. has strong trade restrictions on the
country, barring major exports as well as financial services for individuals or
organizations linked to terror