U.S. Foreign Economic Policy: Seeing a Pattern Yet?

1. Cuba (Regime type: Communist) - May release political prisoners. Talks that U.S. trade embargo may be lifted.

2. North Korea (Regime type: Communist) - U.S. threatening further economic sanctions. American foreign policy in past has used carrots to coax North Korea to give up nuclear weapons program and/or submit to inspections. Carrots have been overly generous and sticks have been overly weak. Policies have been a failure.

3. China (Regime type: State capitalist-Maoist) - Most Favored Nation trade status since 1990s has led to American dependency on Chinese manufactured products and buying of our debt.

4. Russia (Regime type: State capitalist-Post-communist?) - U.S. gave billions of dollars in aid in 1990s. Russia persistently bullies states in region with economic sanctions. Russia aiding Iran with nuclear energy technology. No proposed economic sanctions in foreseeable future.

5. Iran - (Regime type: Islamofascist) - Pursuing nuclear weapons technology. Economic sanctions a perpetual debate in U.N. Permanent Security Council. Some modest sanctions currently in place.  Harsher sanctions recently voted down by council.  EU may possibly sign onto harsher sanctions like the banning of oil imports.

6. South Korea - (Regime type: Presidential Representative Republic) - U.S. secretly threatened sanctions against South Korea when the latter sought nuclear weapons technology as a deterrent against a North Korean invasion.