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A comment on GitHub confirms it has blocked developers in Iran, Syria and Crimea. Parent comment

Re:GitHub confirms it has blocked developers in Iran, Syria ... by amaccuish on Monday July 29, 2019 @11:50AM (#20555844)
> If the regime in Iran falls. It won’t be because of US sanctions. It will be because that country has been operated by a brutal dictator for decades, and the Iranian people grew tired of being the enemy of their own government.

If so (that Iran falls not because of US sanctions), surely it follows that there is no point to the sanctions?

They would only serve to embitter the targeted population.

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:GitHub confirms it has blocked developers in Iran, Syria ... by AmericanChopper on Monday July 29, 2019 @10:00PM (#20561449)
> surely it follows that there is no point to the sanctions?

Not at all. Either the sanctions pressure Iran into changing their policies, or the sanctions restrict their ability or enact those policies.

Of course the US is pressuring Iran to act according to the Interests of the US. But if you want to criticize that, you’d have to look at what they are in this situation.

* Protecting allies in the region (which Iran openly and repeatedly vows to wipe of the map)

* Preventing nuclear proliferation

* Doing so while avoiding war

You have to try quite hard to apply the USA-is-just-a-bully trope to this situation.

[ Parent | on HN ]