How four U.S. presidents unleashed economic warfare across the globe

Jeff Stein and Federica Cocco

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In Cuba, sanctions imposed by the United States more than 60 years ago have failed to dislodge the communist regime — but they’ve made it more difficult to get critical medical supplies to the island.

In Iran, U.S. sanctions that date to the 1970s have not forced out Tehran’s theocratic rulers — but they have pushed the country to forge close alliances with Russia and China.

In Syria, dictator Bashar al-Assad remains in power despite 20 years of U.S. sanctions — but the country is struggling to rebuild from civil war, and more Syrians than ever are expected to need critical humanitarian assistance this year.

Today, the United States imposes three times as many sanctions as any other country or international body, targeting a third of all nations with some kind of financial penalty on people, properties or organizations. They have become an almost reflexive weapon in perpetual economic warfare, and their overuse is recognized at the highest levels of government. But American presidents find the tool increasingly irresistible.