Don't Impose Sanctions

I SHARE the majority's dismay at recent curtailments of civil liberties in Poland. I, too, deplore the attempt to bust the free trade union Solidarity and support international talks on the Polish crisis. But I cannot support the majority's call for economic sanctions against the Soviet Union. Any punitive action directed toward the Soviet Union will not improve the situation in Poland, nor will it bring about hoped-for changes in Soviet policies around the world. Soviet oppression, like that of the U.S., cannot be stopped by an embargo or a trade cutback.

In fact, imposing economic sanctions on the Soviet Union will likely backfire, hurting the United States at least as much as the Soviet Union. The majority of Crimson editors may be sure of Soviet involvement in the Polish crisis, but members of other countries may not be so convinced. There remains little hard evidence thus far of direct Soviet intervention. Nonaligned nations might well question U.S. sanctions based on flimsy evidence. Should the United States launch what could be viewed as an unfounded attack on the Soviet Union, the U.S. status abroad would suffer greatly.

Economic sanctions would be no more than a symbol of dubious impact. Symbolic effect, while important, must be weighed against the costs of symbolic action. Clearly a grain embargo would seriously hurt agri-business and damage the U.S. balance of trade; those costs far outweigh any symbolic gains.

Effective action to repair unsatisfactory situations is necessary; action stemming from frustration is not. I urge the United States to take no punitive action against the Soviet Union, but rather to expend its energies towards alleviating the crisis diplomatically.