Just How Bad Were UN Sanctions Against Iraq? The impact of UN sanctions on Iraq has been difficult to quantify -- and that's part of the problem.

The article focuses on the ongoing debate about the effectiveness and consequences of the UN sanctions imposed on Iraq starting in 1990. Topics include the sanctions' impact on Saddam Hussein's weapons programs, their failure to destabilize his regime or improve human rights, and the broad disagreement among analysts about their overall effects on Iraqi society.