Episode description

Chris, Zack, and Melanie sit down to discuss U.S. sanctions programs and how to make them more effective. In a recent War on the Rocks article focused on sanctions, Edward Fishman argues that the United States needs to take a hard look at our economic statecraft. Why have sanctions become the go-to answer to so many foreign policy problems? When should they be used, and when are they least effective? Does the United States have the institutional framework necessary for regular sanctions reviews and reform? Will Joe Biden’s team approach sanctions differently than previous administrations? Chris has thoughts on how members of Congress reacted to Biden’s strikes in Syria, Zack takes a principled position on one of Biden’s nominees, and Melanie welcomes her 13th niece to the world.

Links

• Edward Fishman, “Make Russia Sanctions Great Again,” War on the Rocks, October 23, 2020
• Constance Grady, “How Dolly Parton Became a Secular American Saint,” Vox, February 26, 2021
• “US Sanctions 23 Actors with Ties to Venezuelan Oil,” VOA News, January 19, 2021
• Peter E. Harrell, “Here’s How Trump Can Make Better Use of Corporate Sanctions,” Foreign Policy, February 5, 2019
• Natasha Bertrand, “Biden Readies His First Major Penalties on Russia,” Politico, February 22, 2021
• Elizabeth Rosenberg, Peter, Harrell, and Ashley Feng, "A New Arsenal for Competition," Center for a New American Security, April 24, 2020
• Eric B. Lorber, "Securing American Interests: A New Era of Economic Power," Center on Sanctions and Illicit Finance, February 2017
• Juan Zarate, Treasury's War (New York: PublicAffairs, 2013)
• Josh Rudolph, "Treasury's War on Corruption," Alliance for Securing Democracy, December 22, 2020
• Hugh Hewitt, "The GOP should Forgive Neera Tanden," Washington Post, February 20, 2021
• Gordon Lubold, Michael R. Gordon, and Andrew Jeong, "US, South Korea Near a Deal Over Cost of U.S. Forces on Peninsula," Wall Street Journal, February 26, 2021
• Erica Borghard, “Reality Check #2: Economic Sanctions Should Not always Be the Go-To Foreign Policy Tool,” New American Engagement Initiative, Atlantic Council, February 22, 2021
• Erica Borghard, “Reality Check #3: The Uses and Abuses of Deterrence,” New American Engagement Initiative, Atlantic Council, March 1, 2021