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Former USTR Says Sanctions Are Overused

Former U.S. Trade Representative Robert Zoellick, who also led the World Bank, told an Atlantic Council audience that he doesn't think sanctions on Russia if it invades Ukraine is a particularly useful approach. "Sanctions have a mixed history," he said.…

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"They tend to be most effective as a tool when they’re narrowly focused," such as with export controls. "To be blunt, people often apply them because they’re not sure what else they’re ready to do … but they want to signal their displeasure," he said during the Jan. 19 webinar. He suggested that if the U.S., Canada and Europe offered to invest in Ukraine with an eye to improving its economy and as a carrot to improve its governance, that could be more effective.