Report
Sanctions rarely topple governments; they wear down societies
Radio Zamaneh argues that sanctions rarely force governments to change course or fall, and instead impoverish ordinary people, shrink the middle class and erode social trust. In Iran, it says, the government can find ways around restrictions while society bears the cost, weakening the very forces that could push for political change.
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Drawing on cases including Cuba, Iraq in the 1990s, Libya, Syria and North Korea, the analysis says governments under sanctions often redirect scarce resources to security forces and allied elites, use smuggling and informal markets, and blame external pressure for domestic failures. It says prolonged sanctions can push people into black markets, hoarding and bribery, while emigration accelerates and the middle class — a group often able to organize civic life and articulate political demands — is worn down.
On Iran, Radio Zamaneh says economic pressure alone cannot guarantee a change in government behavior or political change. It argues that precise pressure should target networks of power, repression, corruption and government financing rather than medicine, food, education, communications and legitimate trade, warning that indiscriminate sanctions can leave society weaker even if the government remains in power.
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