Rethinking Dual Containment

The Clinton Administration’s Gulf policy of dual containment was further weakened by the election of President Khatami in Iran. American failure to get positive support from the UN Security Council for the imposition of additional sanctions on Iraq (UNSCR 1134) highlighted the growing isolation of the Americans. Now, as the Administration seeks to squirm Out of applying the provisions of the Iran-Libya Sanctions Act (ILSA) against Total, calls are increasing for a rethink of the policy. These issues were discussed recently at a conference in Doha convened by the Qatari Centre for Strategic Studies, the IISS and Gulf 2000.