The United States has vastly overused economic sanctions as a policy tool, the rest of the world is sick of it, sanctions have failed to change behavior in heavily sanctioned countries (Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Venezuela), and when the US sanctions Russians while the rest of the world trades with them through black markets, it reveals the weaponization of the dollar and US financial system for unpopular political strategies.
causalpending
Speaker
Ben RhodesEvidence Quote
“the United States for a long time... vastly overuses the tool of of economic sanctions and the rest of the world is completely sick of it... the most heavily sanctioned countries by the United States are Cuba Iran North Korea Venezuela wow that's really worked out... when we sanction the Russians... they've literally participated in the largest Black Market operation in like human history to just ignore us and that's not because they like Putin it's because they're sick of the United States weaponizing its control of the dollar”
Source
Ben Rhodes: The Warren and Anita Manshel Lecture in American Foreign Policy— Weatherhead Center for International AffairsCreated: 8/11/2026, 7:23:32 AM
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