Delete FROM users WHERE location = 'Iran'; (gist.github.com)

Article summary

The article is written by an Iranian software engineer who shares their personal experiences with online services being blocked or restricted due to sanctions against Iran. The author recounts instances where their app was deleted from the Microsoft Store, their Notion account was wiped, and they were blocked from accessing GitHub and other services. The author notes that these sanctions affect ordinary citizens, not just the government, and can have unintended consequences. The author emphasizes that they do not support the actions of the Iranian government, but rather want to highlight the human impact of sanctions.

Main themes

• Sanctions and their impact
• Iranian government and politics
• Online services and accessibility
• Global politics and international relations
• Human rights and civilian effects

What commenters say

• Sanctions are ineffective in achieving their intended goal of regime change and instead harm ordinary citizens.
• The point of sanctions is not to overthrow the leadership, but to influence the actions of the existing regime and demonstrate the consequences of non-compliance.
• Sanctions can have the opposite effect of strengthening the targeted government by creating a sense of national pride and unity among its citizens.
• The true purpose of sanctions is to serve as a symbolic warning to other countries to follow the wishes of the sanctioning country, rather than to actually effect change in the targeted country.
• Sanctions can be a useful tool in limiting the access of authoritarian regimes to resources and technology that could be used for military or harmful purposes.
• The effectiveness of sanctions is often exaggerated, and they can be used as a political tool to appease domestic audiences rather than to achieve a tangible goal.
• The impact of sanctions on civilians is a significant concern and can lead to unintended consequences, such as driving countries towards alternative alliances and weakening international institutions.
• Sanctions can be a form of costly signaling, demonstrating the commitment of the sanctioning country to a particular cause or policy, but this can become less effective if overused.