August 18, 2022
How sanctions helped bring down the Soviet Bloc
Among sanctions critics who oppose America’s foreign policy goals or sympathize with its adversaries, a common cliche is that “sanctions never work.” A more nuanced criticism from skeptics of American power is that sanctions alone cannot cause states to change the policies that Washington and its allies oppose. A third argument is that sanctions are not an end unto themselves. The first argument is demonstrably untrue; the second is a half-truth; and the third is too self-evident to be worth...