Iran nuclear case ...
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If international sanctions lose their effectiveness, what would be the strategy of Iran, Russia, and China to counter US secondary sanctions?
The overextension of US sanctions and Washington’s excessive reliance on this tool will gradually blunt their edge. The more countries are placed under such measures, the greater the likelihood of an emerging anti-sanctions front, making it harder for the US to achieve its desired foreign policy outcomes. This expansion also increases the chances of creating independent financial mechanisms detached from Western systems, while eroding the legal, moral, and conventional legitimacy of sanctions themselves.
To curb the effects of secondary sanctions, developing such independent financial and economic frameworks is essential. Some progress has been made, but more work lies ahead. In the long run, if Washington continues to lean on coercive policies, it will only push other nations toward strengthening these parallel systems. This could, over time, take the sting out of secondary sanctions.
In the short term, sanctions may prompt countries to team up to circumvent them. However, a more comprehensive and institutional approach is needed to build sustainable, independent financial mechanisms. The idea has been discussed before, but only recently has it gained serious traction among several states. If the US persists with its pressure tactics, it might corner its adversaries in the short term, but in the long run, such moves could backfire, threatening Washington’s own strategic interests by accelerating the rise of alternative, non-Western economic systems.