Sanktioner blir ett allt vanligare vapen i det moderna kriget. Vi kan lära oss mer om hur man använder dem på bästa sätt genom att studera deras effekt i Belarus. Det skriver Frivärlds senior fellow Anders Åslund i The Hill.
The fundamental question is: What is the aim of sanctions? The often unspoken goal of sanctions is to persuade a rogue national leader to moderate his policies, typically to reduce repression of political opponents. Often Western governments pretend to have that aim, whereas their real aim is to oust the leader and his regime — typical examples are Cuba, Iran, Venezuela, North Korea and now Belarus.