In 2019, the then-US President Donald Trump unveiled a poster of himself with a text that said: 

As the most powerful state, the US is not shy to project its power through economic sanctions. Recently sanctions have been the buzz in international policy, especially in relation to the sanctions imposed by the 

sanctions against Russia and its officials,

Countries that have imposed sanctions against Russia

Here, we will unpack what sanctions are and why they are appealing as a foreign policy tool.

 Athenian politician and reformer of Athenian democracy, issued a 

cut off Megarian merchants from harbours and markets and Athens, and the whole Maritime Union area. 

The reasons for cutting off Megara from trade, mainly grain supply, are unclear. Some of the sources say that Paracles wanted to punish Megara for supporting Corinth in the war against Athens. 

Economic sanctions can be traced back to Greek politician Pericles

Other sources say that the main reason was the abduction of three women from the house of Paracles's wife, Aspasia by the Megarians. 

In the coming years, there were rulers who acknowledged that closing domestic markets or borders for foreign trade can be as effective as open warfare. 

And what is the use of sanctions in modern times? At present time, economic sanctions are used for different goals by the United Nations Security Council. 

If some country breaks international law, the UN Security Council can pass a resolution to impose economic sanctions on this country. 

The UNSC has also imposed sanctions on entities or individuals

The European Union also imposes sanctions

 that are carried out by the EU countries. In the US sanctions are imposed by the 

 Many other countries have their own sanctions systems. 

In the modern world, international sanctions, political and economic, have become the only universally accepted form of applying pressure on countries in order to force them to obey international law. 

Economic sanctions are when the state, group of countries or organization uses their economic potential against another state. 

This kind of action may be a reaction to, as we can read on the EU Council's page terrorism, 

nuclear proliferation activities, human rights violations, the annexation of foreign territory, or deliberate destabilization of a sovereign country. 

In the 1960s, the US imposed sanctions on Cuba

 for breaking a particular rule or norm, or a form of preventing a given state in which the sanctions are aimed at from breaking the rules, achieving its goals, or profiting from their actions.

the US trade embargo against Cuba in the 1960s aimed to undermine Fidel Castro’s communist regime by ceasing the trading relationship between the US and Cuba.

Since world economies became more interdependent in the 20th century, sanctions have become more attractive. 

Because of the open structure of the global economy today,

 there is now ample opportunity for governments to use economic pressure to change the behaviour of other countries. 

Economic sanctions usually provide a middle ground between military action and no action, making it the weapon of choice for many states.

On its own, it is difficult for sanctions to sufficiently inflict economic pain on the target country as there are alternative trading partners.

Shu Guang Zhang's book Economic Cold War concluded that the sanctions imposed by the US and its Western allies against the People’s Republic of China in the 1950s were largely ineffective.

 China, in reality, had the option to link its economy more closely with the Soviet Union (up until the collapse of the Sino-Soviet alliance, at least).

circumvents United Nations Security Council (UNSC) sanctions by deepening ties with China.

 Instead of punishing the Kim regime, the sanctions produced the opposite effect. 

North Korea has circumvented the sanctions by cultivating a close interest with China

Sanctions against Russia have had a mixed level of effectiveness. 

In addition, the sanctions have been a source of tension between 

Russia and the West and have resulted in an increase in diplomatic and military tensions in the region.

 This has had a destabilizing effect and has raised the risk of a military conflict.

Sanctions imposed on Russia have had a mixed impact

Overall, sanctions against Russia have had an impact, but it has been limited. 

The Russian government has been able to take steps to reduce the impact of the sanctions and the West has not been able to achieve its goals. 

While the sanctions have had an impact on the Russian economy, they have not been effective in achieving their stated objectives.

Furthermore, the sanctioning state also bears the costs of economic sanctions, not only the target state.

That is not to say that sanctions are ineffective, especially when combined with other foreign policy tools as part of a broader framework. 

They can accomplish some goals, even if not all. 

The UN sanctions on Iraq in the 1990s were at least successful in containing Saddam Hussein and reducing its military and economic capabilities, although Iraq was not fully compliant.

Sanctions imposed against Iraq in the 1990s were successful

an effective tool in foreign policy when employed in a strategic manner.

 They can be used to create leverage and influence the behaviour of foreign governments. 

Sanctions can also be used to pressure a target state to comply with international law, or to impose economic or political costs for non-compliance. 

However, sanctions are not a silver bullet and must be used in conjunction with other diplomatic and economic measures to be effective. They should also be periodically reviewed and adapted to changing conditions in order to ensure their continued relevance in the international system.

Are sanctions useful in foreign policy?

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