The harm that sanctions do to the vulnerable

Sanctions have become the foreign policy tool of choice for western countries, but 32 academic papers show that they harm vulnerable populations by leading to declines in spending on public health, education, and food assistance, and can be one of the deadliest weapons used by western powers.

May 6, 2023 . 4:31 PM

1 min read

Sanctions have become western countries’ foreign policy tool of choice, affecting 27% of all states and 29% of the world economy.
32 academic papers show consistently negative effects of sanctions on poverty, inequality, growth, health conditions, and human rights.
Sanctions can lead to a decline in a state’s GDP by up to 26%, and falls in female life expectancy of 1.4 years.
Sanctions mainly work by constraining public sector access to foreign exchange, leading to declines in spending on public health, education, and food assistance.
Sanctions make the lives of vulnerable populations worse and can be one of the deadliest weapons used by western powers.