Unilateral Economic Sanctions: A Policy Assessment

The purpose of this paper is to assess U.S. policy on economic sanctions and make recommendations as appropriate that will prepare the U.S. for 2010 and beyond. I will describe current national security policy in this area with some necessary background information and attempt to address policy objectives ends, concepts or methods ways, and means resources. This paper will address U.S. policy as it pertains to unilateral economic sanctions only. For the purpose of this paper the definition of unilateral economic sanctions is The deliberate, government- inspired, unilateral withdrawal, or threat of withdrawal of customary trade or financial relations. The first recorded case of trade sanctions occurred in 432 B.C., when the Athenian leader Pericles imposed sanctions on Megara. Megara appealed to Sparta for assistance, resulting in the Peloponnesian War. An early example of U.S. sanctions occurred in 1807, when President Jefferson embargoed all U.S. trade with Europe to protest British attacks on U.S. merchant ships. This effort, like most unilateral sanctions, proved to be a complete failure. The U.S. use of economic sanctions as an instrument of National Power among the four options diplomatic, economic, military and informational has become our weapon of choice for responding to events and situations that threaten our security. Sometimes we use them when there is no threat to our security or interests. Ernest Preeg offers a convincing argument that unilateral sanctions let us feel good without going much good at all, in his book, Feeling Good or Doing Good with Sanctions. Unilateral sanctions are attractive to our Congressman and President because they respond to frustrations and the demand to take action.