The United Nations Security Council failed last week in its attempt to impose "smart sanctions" against Iraq. Fourteen of the 15 Security Council members agreed on a new scheme to monitor imports to Iraq. Unfortunately, the holdout was Russia, and Moscow used its threat of a veto to torpedo the new program. Instead, the council voted to extend the existing program, which has been in effect for four and a half years while the United States and Britain, the two nations leading the attempt to revamp the sanctions, try to overcome Russian objections. The status quo is a poor compromise. The regime continues to flout the U.N.'s authority and ordinary Iraqis continue to suffer.
Sanctions were imposed over a decade ago in the aftermath of the Persian Gulf War. They were established by Security Council resolutions and allow Iraq to sell unlimited quantities of oil on condition that the proceeds are spent only on food, medicine and other essentials. They are designed to strip Iraq of its ability to threaten neighbors. The sanctions cannot be lifted until U.N. inspectors certify that Baghdad has dismantled its weapons of mass destruction and its long-range missiles.
That has proven to be a difficult objective. The Iraqi government has done its best to frustrate inspectors. Oblivious to the hardships most Iraqis are forced to endure -- and benefiting from the illegal trade the sanctions have created -- the regime has preferred to play a game of cat and mouse with the U.N. Iraq seems to be winning the contest of wills. International attention has focused on the suffering and ignored Baghdad's indifference to its citizens' pain and its disregard for the U.N. and international law.