When designed and implemented properly, sanctions can serve as a useful tool of economic power for achieving US foreign policy objectives. Discussions about sanctions often gravitate to extreme positions: that sanctions are an easy answer to complex problems or are universally counterproductive. Based on evidence from case studies and interviews with sanctions policy experts, this report provides a framework for designing and implementing effective sanctions against authoritarian regimes.
Key Takeaways
- Well-designed and well-implemented sanctions can be effective tools for advancing US interests when integrated with other instruments of economic, diplomatic, and military power for a specific policy objective.
- Policymakers should prioritize using intelligence to tailor sanctions that most threaten the interests of key individuals in the circles of an autocrat and to cut off cash flows to sanctioned regimes.
- Government officials should routinely reassess the impact of implemented sanctions relative to other policy options and should recalibrate sanctions policies accordingly. Anticipating and preventing sanctions evasion is a key part of executing any impactful sanctions policy.
Sanctions as a Tool of Economic Statecraft: Designing, Integrating, and Implementing to Advance Vital Interests by Hoover Institution
Cite This Essay:
H.R. McMaster, Leopoldo López, Fiona Clunan, Thomas Johnstone, “Sanctions as a Tool of Economic Statecraft: Designing, Integrating, and Implementing to Advance Vital Interests,” Hoover Institution Essay, April 2025.
