022. Buying or selling to authoritarian regimes should be banned in principle however much it hurts profits

  1. 1. Pro: Engaging in trade with authoritarian regimes can be seen as supporting human rights abuses and undemocratic practices.
    Human Rights Watch: [Trade and Human Rights]
    https://www.hrw.org/report/2016/05/30/human-rights-supply-chains/call-binding-global-standard-due-diligence
  2. 2. Con: Banning trade with authoritarian regimes can harm economic interests and reduce market opportunities for businesses.
    The Economist: [The Economic Cost of Sanctions]
    https://www.brookings.edu/articles/economic-sanctions-too-much-of-a-bad-thing/
  3. 3. Unsure: The effectiveness and morality of trade bans depend on the specific circumstances and the potential for achieving political change.
    Council on Foreign Relations (CFR): [Trade Sanctions]
    https://education.cfr.org/learn/reading/what-are-economic-sanctions
  4. 4. Pro: Trade restrictions can apply pressure on authoritarian governments to improve their human rights records.
    Amnesty International: [Economic Sanctions]
    https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2022/12/un-security-council-myanmar-coup/
  5. 5. Con: Trade bans may lead to unintended consequences, such as harming the civilian population of the targeted regimes.
    Carnegie Endowment for International Peace: [Sanctions and Their Impact]
    https://carnegieendowment.org/russia-eurasia/politika/2024/06/finance-sanctions-russia-currency?lang=en
  6. 6. Unsure: The balance between ethical considerations and economic interests is a complex issue with no one-size-fits-all solution.
    Brookings Institution: [Economic Sanctions]
    https://www.brookings.edu/articles/the-gender-revolution-is-stalling-what-would-reinvigorate-it/research/
  7. 7. Pro: Prioritizing human rights over profits can enhance a company’s reputation and align with corporate social responsibility goals.
    Business for Social Responsibility (BSR): [Corporate Responsibility]
    https://business-ethics.com/2015/05/05/does-corporate-social-responsibility-increase-profits/
  8. 8. Con: Companies might face significant competitive disadvantages if they unilaterally stop trading with authoritarian regimes.
    Forbes: [Ethical Dilemmas in International Business]
    https://www.capitalismmagazine.com/2022/04/the-ethics-of-doing-business-in-authoritarian-countries-like-putins-russia/
  9. 9. Unsure: The global nature of modern supply chains makes it challenging to fully avoid interactions with authoritarian regimes.
    History and the ethics of reparations
    https://bulletin.hds.harvard.edu/memory-history-and-the-ethics-of-reparations/