U.S. Sanctions Overview
The Roles of the Executive and Legislative Branches
Economic sanctions represent a constellation of coercive measures imposed for foreign policy or national security reasons. They may be imposed unilaterally or multilaterally against a target to bring about a change in behavior. Sanctions may aim to uphold international norms, prevent adversaries from achieving certain military-related capabilities, deter other actors from engaging in undesirable behavior and increase costs associated with a certain political decision or activity. Sanctions are public action short of (or a precursor to) direct military action. Sanctions can take many forms and variously impose restrictions on customary international economic activity, including flows of goods, people or services….
