Monday, August 28, 2006
A reader sent this idea along for a new type of international sanction for targeting Iran. I will tell you at the outset that I am skeptical of the idea for several reasons that I will note at the conclusion, but I did agree to put the issue out there for discussion.
With the Internet, every second of disconnect counts and the embargo is much more powerful and easy to enforce.
The Iranian people are a great consumer of western culture (at home not on the street), Iranian scientists use the internet as a daily tool. Iranian propaganda also make large use of the internet – imagine it would all stop.
None can argue (as they did in Iraq case) that an internet embargo will cause food and medicine not to be available for babies – the Internet is a virtual (yet powerful) commodity that every Iranian would immediately notice when they get disconnected.
Like any embargo, the internet embargo would be able to hold a 100% block for 100% of the time but this is what nice about internet: Even a reduced bandwidth would immediately be felt. Even lack of 24/7 availability would be felt by every Iranian.
How to implement it is also simple:
- Disconnect of all communication links to Iran (any country that would try to keep such communication will be added to the embargo)
- Implementation of code (to be added to internet nodes (routers) ) that would block and discard any Iran bound or Iran originating traffic.
- Constant searches for new links (via another countries and domain names) that end up including Iranian content/ e-mails and adding those to the list of IP addresses that would be blocked.
I do not believe this is workable for several reasons that come to mind immediately. First of all, like any effective sanctions regime, this would need to be air-tight in order to be effective, but the internet is very good at routing around a damaged "vessel." Further, many, many places -- more than just Russia and China -- don't support sanctioning Iran, and any of them could help route Iran arround the problem.
Also, the internet is run under the cult of "dialog." The idea of cutting a complete nation off from the connection to the world of communication would come up against a great deal of resistance, and further cement the idea in the minds of many that the internet is too greatly controlled by America.
There's also the possibility that this would punish the most progressive forces in the country -- the middle classes and the youth who we WANT to be able to communicate with the outside world, and do nothing against the most regressive people -- the lower classes who don't give a damn about the internet and the regime who could get around it.
It's an admirable thought -- sanctions with a minimum of loss of life -- but I don't believe it would work. I could be wrong. Thoughts?
This is a disastrous idea. I agree with Solomon that it is probably not workable, and I am happy for that. It is not just possible, but certain that an internet embargo does more harm to the good people on our side, than the regime, since it is a vital source of communication for the former and not the latter. Also, exactly for that reason, I do not think it is what it seems superficially -- a sanction with minimum loss of life -- because the internet has become an indispensible tool of resistance and protecting the lives of activists, prisoners, and even the ordinary people of Iran who live under the sword of the regime. Information matters the most in such cases to save lives.
-- Liberal Iranian, http://libiran.blogspot.com
Cutting off the internet.. Wait that then means that there's only the state run television/papers etc.
I believe Iran already has filtering on like many other middle eastern nations.. But as always there are ways around..
Bad idea for an isolationist state, two thumbs down..
It'd be like the US watching fox news with no other sources.. Oh wait.. ;)
Recognizing that economic sanctions never work, seeking a new method is a good thing... But this internet blackout would only serve the ends of the Iranian government. They would welcome our help in cutting their citizens off from news and interaction with the free world.
I can't think of an idea that would have a worse effect on the situation than this. In a time that we ought to be trying to OPEN up links to moderate Iranians, defying the theocracy with a free flow of information, it would be asinine to apply such a tool... if it COULD be applied.
I give credit to your reader for thinking outside the box, but this idea is a loser.