Starving a nation of resources has a long history in foreign policy, from ancient sieges of cities to modern economic sanctions. Sanctions can come in many forms: a unilateral trade embargo like the 1980 US grain embargo against the Soviet Union during the Carter administration; a multilateral sanction like the ongoing (since 2013) United Nations arms embargo on the Central African Republic; or targeted trade and financial sanctions by a coordinated group of countries that cut off the flow of goods, services, and capital to entities and individuals—such as the ones now being imposed by the United States, Europe, and others against Russia.