Sanctions: more complicated than they appear

Lucy Kenningham | 3rd March 2022 | Uncategorised

IVANO-FRANKIVSK, UKRAINE - FEBRUARY 28: A man with a bicycle is seen next to a cafe that has a sign "Russian Warship, go **** yourself", and another sign with the numbers of people and vehicles Russia lost in the recent war with Ukraine, on February 28, 2022 in Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine. Ukrainians from the eastern and central parts of the country have increasingly fled to western cities as Russian forces advance toward Kyiv from three sides. Russia launched a large-scale invasion of Ukraine last week, prompting widespread condemnation from European countries, coupled with sanctions on Russia and promises of military support for Ukraine. (Photo by Alexey Furman/Getty Images)

The history of sanctions has many lessons for the government

Just like the word itself, which can mean to permit or to penalise, aspects of sanctions can be contradictory: the intentions behind their use as well as their eventual effects. They are often touted as an obvious and “soft” option to conflict, but this ignores the potential for devastating consequences. The history of sanctions is fraught with lessons for current and future governments. War, not peace The first recorded use of economic sanctions was back in 432 BC in Ancient Greece. It was Pericles, builder of the Acropolis, instigator of modern democracy and Boris Johnson’s personal hero, who issued the Megarian Decree, which blocked Megara from trading in any port within the Delian League. Banned from harbours and market places across the Athenian Empire, the Megarian economy was strangled. The city was isolated and its economy suffered. Starvation killed many. The ban strained a fragile peace. After Megara appealed to Sparta for help, the Peloponnesian War broke out. The repeal of ...

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