Assessing the Effectiveness of U.S. Sanctions

Whenever a nation acts in ways that threaten international norms and stability, it’s not long before someone is calling for sanctions in response. But are sanctions effective? Can they change the behavior of nations? And if so, what are the conditions necessary for them to do so? The Wilson Center’s Kennan Institute and the Henry M. Jackson Foundation recently hosted a conference that examined the impact, effectiveness, and consequences of U.S. sanctions past and present. We spoke with two of the participants, Meg Lundsager and William Pomeranz, and asked them to provide a summary and further analysis. That’s the focus of this edition of Wilson CenterNOW.