International sanctions emerged as a possible foreign policy instrument aimed at changing behaviours or policies that fail to align with certain conduct standards accepted by the global community. Nonetheless, it is crucial to highlight that the standards of conduct referenced in the international arena primarily reflect Western philosophical ideologies.

This poses a challenge in distinguishing Western national interests from these so-called international standards of conduct. The West frequently employs sanctions to influence the actions of other nations that do not adhere to this international benchmark; most of these targeted nations are in the Global South. Cuba, North Korea, Iran, Syria, Zimbabwe, Belarus, Congo DR, Ethiopia, Iraq, Lebanon, Mali, Venezuela, Russia, China, etc. We’re all sanctioned for one reason or another.

The over-reliance on sanctions by Western countries has produced adverse consequences for the West itself, the global system, and the effectiveness of sanctions as a foreign policy tool.

These repercussions include the unification of sanctioned nations, the search for alternative methods to evade sanctions, their growing resilience against sanctions, the establishment of alternative frameworks alongside the Western-dominated international system, and the polarisation of the global order, which in turn fosters conflicts. This situation complicates the ability of the UN to uphold international peace and security.

It is not by error that the sanctions imposed by the United States and its Western allies tend to unite sanctioning states automatically. In response to Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014 and its invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the US and its allies implemented sanctions such as asset freezes and travel restrictions targeting individuals and companies associated with the occupation of Crimea and Russia’s actions in the Donbas, including financial penalties.

Following the US withdrawal from the JCPOA agreement in 2018, the E3, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom reintroduced sanctions on Iran, in pursuit of what they term a better deal.

China also experiences the effects of Western sanctions due to the trade imbalance with the West. Nevertheless, scholars like John Mearsheimer contend that a significant portion of US and Western economic strategies toward China stems from America’s aim to contain China. A key element that connects these three nations is the Western sanctions levied against them.

Enforcing international sanctions can be challenging and costly. Once a state is sanctioned, it quickly seeks alternative ways to bypass those sanctions. This alternative approach compounds the difficulties faced by Western nations that are already strained in their efforts to enforce sanctions.

For example, the Iranian shadow fleet consists of a network of oil tankers, shell companies, and covert logistical operations that the Islamic Republic of Iran employs to covertly export oil in violation of international sanctions, especially those enacted by the United States.

According to the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), on October 9, 2025, it was reported that as recently as 2024, Qingdao Hexin facilitated the offloading of nearly two million barrels of Iranian oil at Haiye Terminal in Qingdao Port on behalf of NIOC through the vessels PROGRESS V and SCORPIUS.

This represents just one example of efforts to circumvent sanctions. Other nations involved in transshipping activities further undermine these sanctions.

Additionally, states that have been sanctioned engage in transactions with one another without significant concerns about repercussions from Western nations.
Countries have become resilient to sanctions, having found ways to mitigate their effects while implementing domestic policies that support these measures. For example, Russia successfully developed economic strategies that ensure the continuity of fast-food chains, with entities that have taken hold in the country being new brands rather than the original Western ones.

In 2022, McDonald’s officially exited its Russian operations, selling its restaurants to a franchisee who rebranded them as Vkusno & tochka, which means “Tasty and that’s it.” Although this new chain cannot offer signature McDonald’s menu items like the Big Mac, it has created its own alternatives.

Additionally, China established the BeiDou satellite system to achieve technological autonomy from the U.S.-controlled GPS, prompted by a 1993 incident when GPS signals were temporarily cut off for a Chinese vessel, and aimed at bolstering its military and economic strength with a system that is less susceptible to foreign interference and provides distinctive features like two-way messaging.

These examples illustrate just a fraction of a broader trend. It also indicates how excessive use of sanctions is a harbinger for sanctioned states to be creative, less dependent on the West, and to weaken sanctions as a foreign policy tool.

The imposition of Western sanctions has led to the emergence of alternative systems alongside the international framework, largely influenced by the West. It’s essential to emphasise that BRICS is a response to the overuse of sanctions. The SWIFT payment system and the Dollar have been utilised as tools for coercion.

SWIFT functions as a global electronic money transfer service that employs a secure messaging network to facilitate payment orders between financial institutions.
Countries that have been sanctioned, along with others that might face sanctions—primarily those in the global south—have started to conduct transactions using their local currencies, with a significant focus on the Chinese yuan and the Cross-Border Interbank Payment System (CIPS).

Nations such as Kenya and Angola have begun converting their national debt from USD to Chinese Yuan. The international landscape has become increasingly polarized due to the excessive application of Western sanctions, which have polarised the global system along historical and ideological divides into the Global South, led by China and Russia, and the Global North, led by the US and other Western allies.

This polarisation has led to conflicts and wars, pushing diplomacy to the sidelines. Such obstacles have rendered the UN ineffective in achieving its main goal of preserving international peace and security.

Oseni, a former U.S. Police officer and U.S. Army veteran, writes via [email protected]