Elliott Abrams

Many countries impose sanctions on other countries in an attempt to pressure them to change their policies. Sanctions can be economic, such as restricting foreign aid or trade; political, such as closing embassies or expelling foreign nationals; or military, such as arms embargoes. In the following viewpoint, Elliott Abrams argues that the imposition of sanctions is an effective way to express displeasure at another country’s conduct. Furthermore, he maintains, economic sanctions are effective at changing the country’s undesirable behavior. Eliminating economic sanctions as a foreign policy tool would leave a government with only two choices, Abrams contends: words—denunciations, which are easy to ignore—or war. As a global leader, the United States should set the standard and continue to impose sanctions against its...