International Sanctions

Although loved by most Western Powers, it is becoming increasingly obvious that far from punishing a regieme that is fixing elections / killing its own people sanctions help to consolidate the persons in power as they are then able to say "everything would be fine - if it wern't for the sanctions". Zimbabwe has been systemically hurt by their use, and the leaders are still there.

By all means ban travel of the elite to Western coutries, but trade should continue as it only hurts those that we're pretending to help. :soapbox:

Do others agree, or is there a feeling that these in fact do assist in international politics?

~:smoking:

Your post could use some editing to make it more clear.

Do sanctions work? Sometimes. I'm far from an expert on the matter but I think their effectiveness depends on the country's dependency on those goods. There are far too many factors to list here. In the short run sanctions cause the most harm to those they are designed to protect. However, short of well organized covert actions and influence operations they are one of the best tools western nations have to affect change. Each country will act in accordance with its values, which are the reasons for the sanctions in the first place.