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Federal Sanctions

Unilateral sanctions are generally ineffective in achieving U.S. foreign policy goals and harm innocent people more than the regimes they target. Despite the fact that unilateral sanctions rarely achieve our foreign policy goals, they continue to have political appeal. Unilateral sanctions give the impression that the United States is "doing something," while American workers, farmers and businesses absorb the costs.

USA*Engage supports efforts to reform the process for considering and administering unilateral U.S. sanctions by initiating and supporting legislation to mandate common sense tests for new unilateral sanctions. The coalition also sponsors efforts to obtain increased transparency and interaction between the business community and the government on enforcement and regulatory issues involving current sanctions. USA*Engage monitors new sanctions proposals in Congress on a regular basis and has written position statements on a variety of legislative proposals.

Publications

Energy, Economic Interests Complicate Iran Dealings
Kathy Gockel, The Stanley Foundation
November 2, 2007

United States and Lebanon: Building Support for a Multilateral Approach
Kathy Gockel, The Stanley Foundation
September 2007

Asian Nations Must Apply Pressure to Stop Burma Bloodshed
Michael Schiffer, The Stanley Foundation
September 29, 2007

2007 Foreign Sanctions Countermeasures Study
Dewey Ballantine LLP
August 2007

The High Road to Damascus: Engage Syria’s Private Sector
Andrew Tabler, The Stanley Foundation
August 2007 

Engaging Syria: Interview with Andrew Tabler
The Stanley Foundation
August 2007 

Principled Multilateralism: When Does it Work?
David Shorr, The Stanley Foundation
August 2007 

Are Economic Sanctions Good Foreign Policy?
Discussants: Jake Colvin, Director, USA*Engage and Simon Cox, The Economist
July 27, 2007

An Axis of Peace for Darfur: The United States, France, and China
John Prendergast and Colin Thomas-Jensen, Center for American Progress
June 2007 

Shooting Blanks at Sudan
John Prendergast, Colin Thomas-Jensen, and Julia Spiegal, Center for American Progress May 29, 2007

Questions Linger After Sanctions
Carin Zissis, Council on Foreign Relations
October 16, 2006 

Financial Sanctions: Principles, Problems and Enforcement
Chatham House
April 19, 2006

Burma: Feel-Good U.S. Sanctions Wrongheaded
David Steinberg, Yale Center for the Study of Globalization
May 19, 2004

Use Free Trade Agreements to Fight Corruption and Promote Democracy
Brian Katulis, Center for American Progress
March 16, 2004

Imposing Sanctions: States, Firms and Economic Coercion
T. Clifton Morgan and Navin A. Bapat, Rice University
December 2003 

U.S.-Libya Relations: A New Chapter?
William H. Lewis, The Atlantic Council
May 2001

Understanding Sanctions Policy in the 21st Century – Rethinking the Dialogue
The Stanley Foundation
March 29-April 1, 2001

Use and Effect of Unilateral Trade Sanctions (testimony)
Richard Haass, Brookings Institution
May, 27, 1999

Sanctions, Congress and the National Interest
Lee Hamilton, The Nixon Center
July 20, 1998

Economic Sanctions and American Diplomacy
Richard Haass, Council on Foreign Relations
June 1998 

Unilateral Economic Sanctions 1997-98: A Preliminary Assessment
Marino Marcich, National Association of Manufacturers
June 4, 1998 

U.S. Economic Sanctions – Good Intentions, Bad Execution (testimony)
Jeffrey Schott, Peterson Institute
June 3, 1998

Sanctions Against Rogue States: Do They Work?
Council on Foreign Relations
May 20, 1998 

U.S. Sanctions Against Burma: A Failure on All Fronts
Leon Hadar, CATO Institute
March 26, 1998 

A Chance to Rethink Sanctions
Aaron Lukas, CATO Institute
February 23, 1998 

Stuck in Sanctions: U.S. Needs Way Out of Policy Morass
Aaron Lucas, CATO Institute
February 9, 1998  
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Featured

USA*Engage Principles for Sanctions Reform

Foreign Countermeasures and Other Responses to U.S. Extraterritorial Sanctions
by Dewey Ballantine LLP
August 2007

USA*Engage Report Card for the 109th Congress 

Blogs 

International Trade Law News
News, analysis and information on export controls, customs law, antidumping law and other international trade issues. 

Export Law Blog

Export Rules
A free online resource devoted to the import/export compliance community.

For more information

To the Point: Talking Points for Manufacturers – Unilateral Sanctions
National Association of Manufacturers

Economic Sanctions and Other Trade Restrictions
U.S. Chamber of Commerce

CATO Institute

Council on Foreign Relations  – The Council has promoted understanding of foreign policy and America’s role in the world since its founding in 1921.

The Stanley Foundation - The Stanley Foundation is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, private operating foundation focused on promoting and building support for principled multilateralism in addressing international issues.