Sanctions, Peacemaking and Reform: Recommendations for U.S. Policymakers

The U.S. is levying sanctions more than ever to hold warring parties accountable, restrict their access to resources and nudge them toward negotiations.

Yet these measures can have unintended ill effects. Washington should take additional steps to alleviate these problems.

What’s new?

Sanctions have become an increasingly prominent tool of U.S. statecraft.

As the use of sanctions has increased, so, too, has awareness of their collateral effects.

The U.S. government has adopted new policies to mitigate the problems sanctions can cause.

While important, these reforms are incomplete.

Why does it…