
Section 122 of the 1974 Trade Act: What Congress Intended It to Cover
Not during the Latin American debt crisis of the 1980s, not during the 1997 Asian financial crisis that spread across the region, not during the 2008…
Economic sanctions are penalties one government places on another country, a group, or a person to change behavior without using force. They can freeze assets, ban trade, and cut off access to financial systems. The president and Congress create them, the Treasury Department enforces most of them, and the State Department helps coordinate them.
People usually ask how sanctions work, how sanctions differ from embargoes, which laws give the president authority to impose them, whether they succeed, and how they affect ordinary people, businesses, and prices.
An independent team explaining how government works

Not during the Latin American debt crisis of the 1980s, not during the 1997 Asian financial crisis that spread across the region, not during the 2008…

A president can have power to block a foreign transaction yet lack power to tax the import. The International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) allows the…

The fighting in South Sudan's Jonglei state is "rapidly expanding," according to UN officials who briefed the international community on January 29, 2026. Over 200,000 people…

On January 29, 2026, President Trump threatened a tariff on goods from countries supplying oil to Cuba. The proposed tax was not on oil bound for…
On January 15, 2026, the Treasury Department announced sanctions against 18 Iranian officials and entities for their role in one of the deadliest protest…
Oral arguments in November suggested a majority would strike down the tariffs. Officials have already mapped out Plan B through F. Losing at the…
On January 6, 2026, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that the United States would keep the oil embargo to force Venezuela to make…
In November 2025, the USS Gerald R. Ford carrier strike group deployed to the Caribbean basin under "Operation Southern Spear," representing the most substantial…
When do sanctions succeed, and when do they backfire? This analysis examines how the U.S. sanctions system operates, who controls it, and what happens…
Economic sanctions have become America's go-to foreign policy tool. Between diplomatic protests and military action lies this middle path—economic pressure designed to change behavior…
The United States government maintains several tools to protect its national security and foreign policy interests. The Denied Persons List is one of the…
For over a century, America and Iran maintained friendly ties. The United States helped modernize Iran and defended its sovereignty against imperial powers. Then…
Sanctions and embargoes are among America's most powerful diplomatic weapons. They sit in the middle ground between stern words and military action—more forceful than…