The US has long used economic coercion to achieve foreign policy goals — the war in Iran shows how that power has declined

US sanctions on foreign nations have lost some of their power to influence the behavior of other nations – with increasing costs for the US to boot.

By: Charmaine N. Willis, Old Dominion University and Keith A. Preble, East Carolina University, The Conversation

Outlets: The Conversation

Published: April 30, 2026

Words: 1,314

Last Updated: 3 months ago

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By Charmaine N. Willis, Old Dominion University and Keith A. Preble, East Carolina University

Two months after the United States, along with Israel, launched a war against Iran, that conflict appears far from a lasting resolution.

Much commentary on the protracted nature of the conflict has centered on the limits of both the military and diplomatic approaches to the war. But the conflict has also exposed another key reality: the limits of U.S. …

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