Do economic sanctions work? The question obviously might take more than a simple “yes” or “no” answer. But answering it well, with solid empirical data and close attention to the many consequences of sanctions in various circumstances, is vital to crafting a sound foreign policy. The intended benefits of sanctions are clear to all. But do we get them? What are the costs, besides the obvious ones? Do sanctions help us stay out of war, or do they encourage escalation?

Critics argue that economic sanctions are mostly a feel-good measure for domestic political consumption. Foreign governments can be very good at evading them, and globalization makes substitute goods more and more plentiful. Defenders of economic sanctions point to many instances in which they’ve actually worked as promised; they argue, further, that sanctions constitute an important middle step between friendly relations and open warfare.

Our lead essayist this month is Gary Clyde Hufbauer, who has done some of the most important empirical work around on the effectiveness of economic sanctions. Joining to discuss with him are Eric B. Lorber, a PhD candidate in political science at Duke University; Daniel W. Drezner, associate professor of international politics at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University; and Bryan Early, an assistant professor in the Political Science Department at the University at Albany, SUNY.