Sanctions on Syria

Tell me, do these ever work on real dictatorships? Libya was under sanctions for what, 15 years? Don't they just strangle economies so that despite the food/medicine exemption no one can afford anything anymore? Granted, these sanctions aren't as extreme as those against Iraq, but this still isn't a policy in which I have a great deal of faith.

We are also doing this because of Syria's support for Hamas and Hizbullah, two anti-Israeli groups. I'm sure we'll hear rhetoric about democracy and the broad concept of terrorism, though.