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Sanctions have long been a staple in US foreign policy, on the assumption that they are an effective alternative to war in shaping the behavior of U.S. adversaries. But a new book by Narges Bajoghli, Vali Nasr, Djavad Salehi-Isfahani, and Ali Vaez, How Sanctions Work: The Impact of Economic Warfare on Iran, demonstrates that punishing sanctions are not only ineffective, but actually counterproductive.
The case of Iran, which has undergone U.S. sanctions for over four decades — is instructive. Escalating U.S. sanctions have only furthered enmity between the U.S. and Iran, increasing the likelihood of lethal conflict and the prospect of a nuclear Iran, all the while compelling the Iranian population to pay the price. At a time when the risk of a region-wide war in the Middle East is growing, it is important to consider the extent to which economic warfare has helped bring us to this point, and what that means for U.S. policy going forward.
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