The Sanctions Illusion by Jamal Ibrahim Haidar & Seyed Mohammad Karimi
Those who defend sweeping financial sanctions against countries like Russia and Iran often claim that popular suffering is a defensible means of pressuring the target government. But while such measures certainly inflict widespread suffering on civilian populations, this rarely translates into political change.
BEIRUT/LOUISVILLE—When governments impose economic sanctions, like the “economic D-Day” US President Donald Trump is now imposing on Iran, they portray them as a precision instrument—a scalpel rather than a sword—capable of pressuring ruling elites while sparing ordinary citizens. This narrative has been used to justify some of the most sweeping acts of economic coercion in modern history. The only problem is that the central premise is untrue.
