In recent years, the United States has been using economic sanctions a lot in its foreign policy. Let's take a closer look at why this is happening and what it means.
Back when Barack Obama was president, the U.S. put sanctions on about 500 groups each year. They did this for reasons like human rights violations and nuclear activities. When Donald Trump became president, this number almost doubled. And now, Joe Biden is also keeping up with this by putting sanctions on countries like Myanmar, Nicaragua, and Russia.
Even though sanctions are used a lot, we're not sure how effective they are. Some studies say they work about one-third to one-half of the time. But even people in the U.S. government don't always know if they're working.
The reason the U.S. keeps using sanctions is not just because they work. It's also because the U.S. isn't as strong as it used to be. It's not the only big power anymore, and it's not as powerful in military or diplomacy. After wars, economic problems, political fights, and now a pandemic, the U.S. doesn't have as many options. So, leaders often use sanctions because it's an easy choice.
In short, the U.S. uses sanctions a lot, but we're not sure how much they really help. It's also because the U.S. isn't as strong as before, so it relies on sanctions more to deal with global issues.
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