Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

Despite Last-Minute Changes, Senate Bill Deals Big Blow to Renewable Energy

12 hours ago

Trump-Backed Tax-Cut and Spending Bill Passes US Senate

13 hours ago

Homeland Security Secretary Noem Says CNN May Be Prosecuted Over Report on Migration App

14 hours ago

Israeli Officials to Hold Ceasefire Talks in Washington Amid Military Escalation in Gaza

15 hours ago

Trump Escalates Feud With Musk, Threatens Tesla, SpaceX Support

15 hours ago

Musk Vows to Punish Lawmakers Who Back Trump’s Spending Bill

1 day ago

Will Valadao Spoil Trump’s Plan for July 4th ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ Signing?

1 day ago

Shaver Lake and Reedley 4th of July Shows Are Wednesday. Who Else Is Celebrating?

2 days ago
History Shows Sanctions Fail. Why Does US Impose Them?
Jamie_Ouverson_square-300x300-1
By Jamie Ouverson, Creative Producer
Published 7 years ago on
July 13, 2018

Share

What are sanctions and how do they affect a country’s economy?
More importantly, do sanctions work?

GV Wire's Jamie Ouverson
Opinion
Jamie Ouverson
I ask these questions because U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has vowed on behalf of President Donald Trump to use the “strongest sanctions in history” to force Iran back to the table and negotiate a new nuclear treaty with America.
In regard to our longtime antagonistic relationship with North Korea, harsh sanctions imposed by President George W. Bush failed to deliver a regime change or stop that communist country from pursuing nuclear weapons.
And President Obama’s sanctions on Iran failed to force regime change.
Do I even have to bring up Cuba?
Bottom line: Sanctions don’t work.

What Are Sanctions?

Sanctions are a form of punishment intended to change a country’s behavior or, in some cases, bring about regime change.
When imposed, sanctions restrict the legal flow of goods such as food, trade, and money with the outside world.
That sounds good. And sanctions can be emotionally satisfying to the country imposing them. You’re inflicting punishment without incurring the staggering human and financial costs of going to war.
But here’s what advocates overlook: Sanctions often strengthen authoritarian regimes. In addition, a 2009 study by the University of Memphis found that sanctions contribute to the loss of human rights.

Sanctions Destroy Small Businesses, Middle Class

Under stiff sanctions, small businesses shut down because resources become scarce. And sanctions play right into the hands of authoritarian regimes, which hoard resources in a bid to force more people to become dependent on their aid.
During the Obama-era Iran sanctions, two Iranian analysts stated that the Iranian government had a near-economic monopoly after sanctions devastated Iran’s private sector.
As the middle-class shrinks, so does anti-government activism. This is important because the middle class is the prime driver of anti-government movements opposing authoritarian regimes.
When the Obama administration and its European allies-imposed sanctions that cut off Iran from trade with the West between 2010-2012, the number of families living in poverty almost doubled. And Iranians consumed about half as much bread and meat as they had in 1996.

Sanctions Fail the Economics Test

Basic economics instructs us that shortages create sky-high prices for goods and services.
The constraint of the legal flow of goods also creates black markets. People who are unable to legally obtain basic necessities eventually seek out the black market, thus leading to the formation of a “mafia-like class” of powerful individuals.
In Iraq, Saddam relied on Sunni clans to smuggle oil and other goods into the country, therefore making those clans more powerful.
People who are struggling day to day become focused on survival instead of aspirational goals. Disposing of tyranny becomes even more difficult due to repression.

So You Think Sanctions Will Change Iran for the Better?

Some notable cases of sanction failure include:
— Iraq under Saddam Hussein. He maintained his rule until the United States physically removed him through war.
— Cuba, which is still under a dictatorship and ruled by the Castro Regime.
— And Kim Jong Un’s North Korea, whose economy is rated last in the world, according to the 2018 index of economic freedom.
Old habits die hard.
Sanctions create countries that are broken beyond repair. Even after the dictator is dead and gone.

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Trump Pulls Back 150 Guard Troops From Federal Duties in California

DON'T MISS

Trump Says Israel Has Agreed to Conditions to Finalize 60-Day Gaza Ceasefire

DON'T MISS

Fresno County Man Arrested for Suspected Arson Hours After Separate Wildfire

DON'T MISS

New California Environmental Rollbacks Could Boost Housing Projects in Fresno

DON'T MISS

Iran Made Preparations to Mine the Strait of Hormuz, US Sources Say

DON'T MISS

Fresno Unified’s Embattled Nikki Henry Exits. ‘I Own My Mistake. I Won’t Let It Own Me.’

DON'T MISS

Trump Floats Daughter-in-Law Lara Trump for Senate Run in North Carolina

DON'T MISS

Google Hit With $314 Million US Verdict in Cellular Data Class Action

DON'T MISS

Tulare County Wildfire Prompts Advisory in Three Rivers Area

DON'T MISS

O’Brien Launches Fresno County Schools Chief Campaign by Handing Out ‘Homework’

UP NEXT

Trump Says Israel Has Agreed to Conditions to Finalize 60-Day Gaza Ceasefire

UP NEXT

Iran Made Preparations to Mine the Strait of Hormuz, US Sources Say

UP NEXT

Trump Says US Could Reach Trade Deal With India, Casts Doubt on Deal With Japan

UP NEXT

Tulare County Gang Robber Sentenced to Life in Prison for Attempted Murder of Police Officer

UP NEXT

A Path Forward on Immigration Reform That Strengthens America

UP NEXT

France Shuts Schools, Italy Limits Outdoor Work as Heatwave Grips Europe

UP NEXT

Israeli Officials to Hold Ceasefire Talks in Washington Amid Military Escalation in Gaza

UP NEXT

Where Trade Talks Stand With Major US Partners Ahead of Tariffs-Hike Deadline

UP NEXT

Labor Icon Huerta Breaks Ground on Fresno Park Bearing Her Name

UP NEXT

Dyer’s Lobbying Works. Fresno Gets $100M for Downtown From State

New California Environmental Rollbacks Could Boost Housing Projects in Fresno

7 hours ago

Iran Made Preparations to Mine the Strait of Hormuz, US Sources Say

7 hours ago

Fresno Unified’s Embattled Nikki Henry Exits. ‘I Own My Mistake. I Won’t Let It Own Me.’

7 hours ago

Trump Floats Daughter-in-Law Lara Trump for Senate Run in North Carolina

7 hours ago

Google Hit With $314 Million US Verdict in Cellular Data Class Action

8 hours ago

Tulare County Wildfire Prompts Advisory in Three Rivers Area

8 hours ago

O’Brien Launches Fresno County Schools Chief Campaign by Handing Out ‘Homework’

8 hours ago

Trump Says US Could Reach Trade Deal With India, Casts Doubt on Deal With Japan

8 hours ago

Jury Reaches Verdict on Some Counts at Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ Sex Trafficking Trial

8 hours ago

How Wimbledon Is Tackling Its Hottest Opening on Record

9 hours ago

Trump Pulls Back 150 Guard Troops From Federal Duties in California

LOS ANGELES — The Trump administration released about 150 National Guard troops on Tuesday in the first pullback since it dispatched a milit...

5 hours ago

5 hours ago

Trump Pulls Back 150 Guard Troops From Federal Duties in California

An Israeli military convoy manoeuvres near the Israel-Gaza border, as seen from Israel, July 1, 2025. (Reuters/Amir Cohen)
6 hours ago

Trump Says Israel Has Agreed to Conditions to Finalize 60-Day Gaza Ceasefire

Abel Joel Garcia Zarate, 39, of Biola, was arrested Sunday, June, 30, 2025, in Madera County on suspicion of starting a wildfire just hours after crews responded to a separate blaze sparked by farm equipment. (Madera County SO)
6 hours ago

Fresno County Man Arrested for Suspected Arson Hours After Separate Wildfire

7 hours ago

New California Environmental Rollbacks Could Boost Housing Projects in Fresno

An aerial view of the Iranian shores and the island of Qeshm in the strait of Hormuz, December 10, 2023. REUTERSStringerFile Photo
7 hours ago

Iran Made Preparations to Mine the Strait of Hormuz, US Sources Say

7 hours ago

Fresno Unified’s Embattled Nikki Henry Exits. ‘I Own My Mistake. I Won’t Let It Own Me.’

Lara Trump looks on during Republican presidential nominee and former U.S. President Donald Trump's rally, at the Palm Beach County Convention Center in West Palm Beach, Florida, U.S., November 6, 2024. (Reuters File)
7 hours ago

Trump Floats Daughter-in-Law Lara Trump for Senate Run in North Carolina

A Google logo is seen at a company research facility in Mountain View, California, U.S., May 13, 2025. (Reuters File)
8 hours ago

Google Hit With $314 Million US Verdict in Cellular Data Class Action

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend