American sanctions can destroy a country’s economy. The unintended consequences are massive in places like Venezuela and Syria. Jeff Stein of the Washington Post explains why the US is so committed to a mistake.

This episode was produced by Amanda Lewellyn, edited by Amina Al-Sadi and Matt Collette, fact-checked by Laura Bullard, engineered by Andrea Kristinsdottir and hosted by Noel King.

Transcript at vox.com/today-explained-podcast

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How sanctions backfire 27:36

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How sanctions backfire