Sanctions that target key sectors of a foreign country’s economy are often portrayed as an effective and useful tool for pressuring governments considered to be a security threat or to be engaged in human rights violations or anti-democratic behavior.

However, a growing body of research shows that economic sanctions have dire consequences for human populations, causing many deaths — sometimes more than armed conflicts — and increases in preventable disease. Experts argue that they violate international law. Studies show that they are generally not effective in achieving desired results.

The United States is the world leader in imposing economic sanctions and supports sanctions regimes affecting nearly 200 million people. In this webinar, we will learn how economic sanctions work and explore what can be done to curtail their use and attenuate their effect on human lives.

Read CEPR’s “The Case Against Sanctions“

Alexander Main is Director of International Policy at the Center for Economic and Policy Research in Washington, DC. In his work at CEPR, Alex monitors economic and political developments in Latin America and the Caribbean and regularly engages with policy makers and civil society groups from around the region. His areas of expertise include Latin American integration and regionalism, US security and counternarcotics policy in Central America, US development assistance to Haiti, and US relations with Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador, Honduras and Venezuela. He holds degrees in history and political science from the Sorbonne University in Paris, France and is fluent in Spanish and French.