Sanctions are a type of legal action taken by one country in order to punish another country, state, business, or group. These sanctions limit the freedom of the target and possibly put economic or political restrictions on them. For example, one country’s bad behavior might lead another country to put trade restrictions in place or restrict travel to the country.

Geographical sanctions target specific areas, while thematic sanctions target specific problems like terrorism.

The whole idea of sanctions is that they will help produce the behavior our government wants to see without any direct action. In general, the more egregious the action of the offending country, the more serious the sanctions will be on the country. When multiple parties sanction the same party or country, then they become isolated. The more countries that join in on a sanction, the greater success the sanctions will have. The idea is that an isolated country will have no choice but to stop committing the unreasonable behavior in order to rejoin the international global order. If the country refuses to succumb to the pressure, then sanctions are intended to encourage citizens to rise up against the state.

Do sanctions really work toward this end, though? Plus, how do these sanctions impact innocent citizens of these countries or populations who are reliant on sanctioned businesses or organizations?

Recent research suggests that it is unclear whether sanctions are truly effective, especially when they are applied often and over a long period of time. Sometimes sanctions can be effective, but more often than not, these efforts fall flat. Even worse, they wind up harming the innocent civilians dependent on the abusive systems or governments. For instance, one group has been actively sanctioning Cuba since 1962, and clearly, they aren’t prompting the change we want to see. What’s worse is that these sanctions are currently limiting humanitarian aid from flowing into the country.

The US currently has 32 active programs that sanction various countries and organizations across the world. These groups have sanctioned groups for human rights abuses, trafficking narcotics, supporting terrorism, and the proliferation of weapons.

Complying With Sanctions

Do you do business internationally? If so, then you need to make sure that your company has measures in place to ensure you don’t violate any international sanctions. While accidentally doing business with a sanctioned group may not seem like a huge deal, it will have massive consequences since these sanctions are often put into place as a matter of national security.

A failure to comply with sanctions could result in criminal charges, serious financial fines, and put your business at risk. Ignorance of the law is not a legal defense against these accusations, so it’s important to hire a reputable international legal defense team to help you strategize if you’re charged with any sanctions-related violations.

Schedule a call with our team here at Bukh Global to talk to our international lawyers about your ongoing legal situation, and we’ll help you come up with a strategy moving forward.