As I Was Saying...

Trade Sanctions vs. Contract Sanctity

With Scot Marciel. Originally published in The New York Times, April 7, 1984. Used with permission of Michael R. Czinkota and The New York Times.

In “Abrogating Trade Contracts” (Op-Ed March 27), Representative Howard Berman argued against the contract sanctity amendment in the Senate version of the Export Administration Act, claiming that it would “deprive the Government of the valuable tool of trade sanctions.”

The fact is, however, that trade sanctions rarely have proved to be effective tools of U.S. policy. They have been imposed to register opposition to foreign government policies or actions to which ...