# In an op-ed, NYU Global Research Prof. Ian Bremmer discusses President Obama's use of economic sanctions

1 Faculty News March 3, 2015 ![Financial Times logo](/sites/default/files/styles/246w/public/assets/images/uat_025699.jpg?itok=5SpaxEbn)>

Excerpt from [Financial Times](http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/a46b63f2-c0de-11e4-876d-00144feab7de.html?siteedition=intl#axzz3TQEVWpk4) -- "To hear enthusiasts describe them, economic sanctions are trusty swords. By excluding hostile governments and their senior officials from western financial markets, America and its allies can pursue diplomacy with a streak of coercion. The number of US sanctions programmes has doubled in recent years, and they now target the personal assets of a rogue state’s political and economic elite."

[Read more](http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/a46b63f2-c0de-11e4-876d-00144feab7de.html?siteedition=intl#axzz3TQEVWpk4)