ECONOMIC SANCTIONS: EFFECTIVENESS AS A GEOPOLITICAL TOOL

Economic sanctions constitute a complex of restrictive measures including trade embargoes, asset freezes, and isolation from international payment systems like SWIFT. The teleological purpose of these measures is the attrition of the target state's economic capacity, thereby limiting its ability to pursue foreign policy strategies deemed detrimental to international security. Sanctions are posited as an instrument of "soft power" and a kinetic alternative to direct military intervention. Regarding the acting subjects, sanctions are categorized into unilateral sanctions, which are imposed by individual states, and multilateral sanctions, which are initiated by international organizations such as the EU or UN, or by coalitions.