United States imposes new economic sanctions on several countries.

• Author: Crook, John R.

During 2007, the United States imposed or strengthened several sets of economic sanctions in support of its foreign policy objectives.

Additional Sanctions on Sudan. In May, President Bush directed the imposition of additional economic sanctions on Sudan, including measures aimed at two high government officials and a rebel leader. (1) The president's action was a response to Sudan's failure to end support for janjaweed militias in Darfur, to its refusal to permit deployment of UN peacekeepers, and to its rejection of humanitarian aid for the region. The U.S. Department of the Treasury imposed new measures adding 31 entities owned or controlled by the Sudanese government to the 130 Sudanese companies previously barred from doing business with the United States. The newly sanctioned entities include Sudan's largest oil producer--a joint venture with state oil companies from China, India, and Malaysia operated by the China National Petroleum Corporation. Because of the revenues generated by Sudan's oil exports, some observers have questioned the efficacy of the U.S. measures. (2)

Myanmar/Burma. In his September address to the UN General Assembly, President Bush emphasized concern at ongoing human rights violations in Burma/Myanmar and announced the intention to impose new economic sanctions. (3) The Department of State subsequently implemented visa restrictions on three dozen government and military officials and the members of their families, making them ineligible to receive visas for travel to the United States. (4)

In October, President Bush issued an executive order exercising powers under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (5) and other statutes to freeze the assets of several senior officials implicated in human rights abuses. (6) Excerpts from the president's order follow:

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, the National Emergencies Act, the Burmese Freedom and Democracy Act of 2003, and section 301 of title 3, United States Code, and in order to take additional steps with respect to the Government of Burma's continued repression of the democratic opposition in Burma,

I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of America, hereby expand the scope of the national emergency declared in Executive Order 13047 of May 20, 1997, and relied upon for additional steps taken in Executive Order 13310 of July 28, 2003, finding that the Government of Burma's continued repression of the democratic opposition in Burma, manifested most recently in the violent response to peaceful demonstrations, the commission of human rights abuses...