Liz Saville Roberts: “I do want to say again that the use of sanctions as a foreign policy tool have skyrocketed since the conclusion of World…”

“I do want to say again that the use of sanctions as a foreign policy tool have skyrocketed since the conclusion of World War II. The last 4 years, as has been said on the floor, 61 new U.S. laws or executive actions were enacted authorizing the unilateral sanctions against 35 countries, and in all, over 70 foreign nations representing 75 percent of the world's population are currently subjected to a unilateral sanction by the United States. These are easy perceptions, I guess, actions that people take. I think in earlier days we used to call it gunboat diplomacy. Maybe we sent a gunboat over to a nation to demonstrate our unhappiness with a foreign nation and their policy. But there have been terrible repercussions in regard to these sanctions. They do not achieve their policy goals. They are very counterproductive, and as has been indicated by some across the aisle, and others, we shoot ourselves in the foot.”