Economic sanctions are important tools that countries and international groups use to try to change how other countries behave. Here are some reasons why they are used:
Changing Behavior: Sanctions aim to get countries to change their rules or actions, especially about human rights or nuclear weapons. For example, in 2017, the United Nations put sanctions on North Korea after its nuclear tests. This caused North Korea’s economy to shrink by about 3.5%.
Showing Disapproval: Sanctions can show that a country or group of countries does not agree with another country's actions. In 2014, the United States and the European Union placed sanctions on Russia because it took control of Crimea. This led to a loss of around 1.3% in Russia’s economy in 2015.
Working Together: By using sanctions, countries can band together against what they see as a threat. This helps support shared rules and ideas among nations. For example, many countries imposed sanctions against South Africa during the apartheid era, which greatly affected its economy and helped bring political changes in the early 1990s.
Caring for People: Although sanctions often come from good intentions, they can sometimes hurt regular people. For example, UN sanctions against Iraq in the 1990s are thought to have led to the deaths of over half a million children. This raises questions about whether using sanctions is the right thing to do.
In short, economic sanctions play a big role in how countries interact. However, it's important to think carefully about how effective they are and the moral choices behind using them.
Economic sanctions are important tools that countries and international groups use to try to change how other countries behave. Here are some reasons why they are used:
Changing Behavior: Sanctions aim to get countries to change their rules or actions, especially about human rights or nuclear weapons. For example, in 2017, the United Nations put sanctions on North Korea after its nuclear tests. This caused North Korea’s economy to shrink by about 3.5%.
Showing Disapproval: Sanctions can show that a country or group of countries does not agree with another country's actions. In 2014, the United States and the European Union placed sanctions on Russia because it took control of Crimea. This led to a loss of around 1.3% in Russia’s economy in 2015.
Working Together: By using sanctions, countries can band together against what they see as a threat. This helps support shared rules and ideas among nations. For example, many countries imposed sanctions against South Africa during the apartheid era, which greatly affected its economy and helped bring political changes in the early 1990s.
Caring for People: Although sanctions often come from good intentions, they can sometimes hurt regular people. For example, UN sanctions against Iraq in the 1990s are thought to have led to the deaths of over half a million children. This raises questions about whether using sanctions is the right thing to do.
In short, economic sanctions play a big role in how countries interact. However, it's important to think carefully about how effective they are and the moral choices behind using them.