Who Really Benefits From U.S. Sanctions? And How Do We Resist Them? | Maryam Jamshidi [Thinkers Forum]

Are sanctions really a peaceful alternative to war — or are they part of how U.S. power is enforced?
Professor Maryam Jamshidi joins Thinkers Forum to discuss how U.S. sanctions rely on private actors such as banks, corporations, lawyers, plaintiffs, and compliance departments. We explore the fusion of sanctions and national security, the Iran conflict, corporate power, and how countries like China, Iran, and Brazil can resist U.S. economic coercion.

We discuss:

00:00-02:50: intro
02:50: the roles of private actors in U.S. sanctions regime
13:32: tariffs as sanctions policies
20:22: history of “peacetime” U.S. sanctions
31:04: Iran conflict through the lens of U.S. sanctions and Iranian resilience
40:24: how countries can resist U.S. sanctions

40:24-54:47: hope for the future?

Maryam Jamshidi is a professor at the University of Colorado Law School. Her work focuses on national security, sanctions, international law, political economy, and U.S. power.