For Donald Trump, they have been the central means of putting pressure on other states. But he is not alone in this: over the past two decades, the number of international sanctions has grown substantively. While the United States, is the country that most frequently imposes political or economic sanctions on other states or their citizens, the European Union and the United Nations also impose numerous sanctions. By far the most sanctions concern individuals - a sensible development in itself, but one that leads to growing problems, not least because of the increasing number of sanctions. But the side effects of sanctions against states have also increased. In a contribution to the 'Economists on Peace' blog, IFSH Senior Fellow Prof. Dr. Michael Brzoska recommends that the usefulness of sanctions in enforcing international norms should not be undermined by overstretching them.
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