Set 5C — Reading Review: The United States of Sanctions

Who wrote “The United States of Sanctions: The Use and Abuse of Economic Coercion”?

Daniel W. Drezner, published in Foreign Affairs in 2021.

How does Daniel Drezner define sanctions?

Measures taken by one country to disrupt economic exchange with another.

What is Drezner's central argument in “The United States of Sanctions”?

The United States relies too heavily on economic sanctions, even though they often fail to achieve their goals and can impose serious costs.

According to the article, how successful are sanctions generally?

The most generous academic estimate discussed in the article found that sanctions lead to concessions roughly one-third to one-half of the time.

Why does the United States rely so heavily on sanctions, according to Drezner?

U.S. military and diplomatic influence have declined relative to the past, while wars, recession, political polarization, and the pandemic have made other tools harder to use.

Why are sanctions politically attractive to U.S. politicians?

They appear less costly and risky than war but tougher than a symbolic resolution, allowing politicians to show that they are taking action.

What is one historical example of an unsuccessful U.S. sanctions effort discussed in the article?

Thomas Jefferson's Embargo Act of 1807, intended to punish Britain and Napoleonic France, harmed the United States substantially.

Why can sanctions be more effective when they target financial transactions?

The central role of U.S. banks and the dollar gives Washington leverage over financial institutions that want to retain access to the U.S. financial system.

What are secondary sanctions in Drezner's article?

Sanctions that threaten third-party countries or companies with economic penalties if they do not participate in sanctioning the original target.

What is one example of sanctions producing a meaningful result in the article?

Sanctions on Iran helped push it to negotiate an agreement restricting its nuclear program in exchange for some sanctions relief.

What is an example of sanctions failing to achieve their goals?

The article discusses U.S. pressure on Iran, North Korea, and Venezuela, where severe economic costs did not produce the major concessions Washington demanded.

Why does Drezner argue that “maximum pressure” can fail?

When demands are extremely large or resemble regime change, leaders may choose to endure economic pain rather than make the requested concessions.

How can sanctions harm the country imposing them?

They can strain relations with allies, provoke retaliation, hurt domestic producers and consumers, and encourage other countries to seek alternatives to the U.S. dollar.

What does the article say about the costs of U.S. tariffs on China?

It reports that, according to Moody's Investors Service, only 8% of added tariff costs were borne by China, while 93% were paid by U.S. importers and ultimately passed on to consumers.

What is the “ratchet effect” in sanctions policy?

Leaders may readily impose sanctions but hesitate to remove them because lifting them can be portrayed as weakness; legal restrictions can also make removal difficult.

Why does the ability to lift sanctions matter for negotiations?

If a target country does not believe sanctions will be lifted after it complies, it has little incentive to make concessions.

How can sanctions hurt ordinary people?

They can damage the broader economy, increase hardship, and contribute to poverty, repression, corruption, and declining human-development outcomes.

How can targeted countries adapt to sanctions?

They can find alternative trading partners, develop substitute financial arrangements, build domestic production, or retaliate with their own sanctions.

What is Drezner's concern about the long-term effect of financial sanctions on the U.S. dollar?

Repeated use may encourage countries, including U.S. allies, to develop alternatives to the dollar, weakening a source of U.S. financial influence.

What does Drezner recommend for future U.S. sanctions policy?

Use sanctions less often and more selectively, define clear goals and conditions for lifting them, assess humanitarian consequences, and consider alternative tools such as diplomacy, aid, and trade.

What is the difference between containment and compellence in economic statecraft?

Containment seeks to limit another state's economic power; compellence seeks to make a target change its behavior.

What is the main lesson of Drezner's article?

Economic pain inflicted by sanctions does not automatically mean they are effective; sanctions should be judged by whether they achieve clearly defined political goals.