To the Point

Economic Sanctions as Weapon in War on Tyrants

Blockades, embargoes and trade restrictions are advocated as diplomatic alternatives to armed combat. North Korea says economic sanctions are the same thing as all out war, but Saddam Hussein and Fidel Castro are still in power despite years of embargoes and limits on trade. As the world faces the prospect of war, are economic sanctions an alternative to armed combat? Can they change the way other nations behave-or just make life worse for millions of people? Have sanctions worked against Cuba, Pakistan, India or Iraq? What about North Korea? We hear more about the success - and failure -- of such restrictions from former State Department and UN officials who oversaw sanctions in Iraq, Cuba, India and Pakistan. Newsmaker: Renomination of Rejected Judges When Trent Lott of Mississippi was forced to give up Senate leadership because of insensitive comments on race, some thought there would be an impact on President Bush-s selections for federal judgeships. But the name of Charles Pickering, a friend of Lott-s whose views on race have been challenged by Democrats, has been sent to the Senate again. David Savage covers the courts for the Los Angeles Times. Reporters Notebook: Small Provision Protects Eli Lilly in the Homeland Security Bill Consumer groups, Democrats and Indiana Republican Congressman Dan Burton are up in arms over a measure slipped into the Homeland Security Bill. The last minute addition, which escaped public debate, would protect a major drug company from lawsuits by the parents of autistic children. John Carey, who reports for BusinessWeek magazine, has more on the backroom political deal that provides legal protection for Eli Lilly.