Well-Targeted Sanctions Remain a Useful US Policy Tool: The Case of Zimbabwe

Testimony on US Sanctions Policy in sub-Saharan Africa

On June 8, CGD chief operating officer and senior fellow Todd Moss testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health at a hearing examining the utility of sanctions as an instrument for achieving US policy objectives in Africa.

From the testimony:

Until the Government of Zimbabwe has met the Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act criteria and shown unequivocally that it is on an irreversible path to true reform, it is not yet time for the United States to abandon its targeted sanctions. In fact, the U.S. government should be preparing specific targets and options for further ratcheting up pressure, which could be deployed on a timely basis as needed. More broadly across Africa, sanctions will continue to be a practical and symbolic tool for U.S. policymakers, provided they are carefully targeted, deployed among a set of other policy tools, and not expected to serve as a substitute for other actions.