The United States imposes more sanctions than any other country on Earth. Since the 1960s, sanctions have become a core element of U.S. diplomatic strategy, with countries like North Korea, Venezuela, Syria, Russia, China and Iran all being subject to these economic penalties.

Today, Elahe Izade speaks with White House economics reporter Jeff Stein about how the United States fell in love with sanctions, about whether the country’s current strategy is sustainable and about whether sanctions truly work as a diplomatic tool.

Plus, Elahe reports from Chicago on the opening scenes of the Democratic National Convention.

Today’s show was produced by Rennie Svirnovskiy and Ariel Plotnick, with help from Trinity Webster-Bass. The show was mixed by Sean Carter and edited by Reena Flores, with help from Lucy Perkins. Thanks to Mike Madden.

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Why is the U.S. obsessed with sanctions?

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