TheHill.com
The US needs a sanctions policy revolution
BY JOHN BOLTON, OPINION CONTRIBUTOR 12/01/22 10:00 AM ET
Joe Biden
FILE - Joe Biden speaks on the South Lawn of the White House, July 11, 2022, in Washington. Biden has signed an executive order Tuesday aimed at increasing the flow of information to families of Americans detained abroad, and at imposing sanctions on the criminals, terrorists or government officials who hold them captive. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)
For over three decades, economic sanctions against America’s adversaries have been a critical element of our foreign policy. Unfortunately, increasing evidence shows that, far too often, sanctions are poorly conceived and enforced.
We have failed to appreciate that our sanctions’ targets are devious and creative, crafting successful evasion and mitigation strategies. We have been satisfied with sanctions as virtue signaling rather than real economic warfare. Unsurprisingly, therefore, sanctions are often only marginally effective or, even worse, self-delusional.