Leyton-Brown: What role will sanctions by Canada, the United States, and the European Union play in the development of the political crisis in Ukraine?
Professor of Political Science, York University
It depends on what the sanctions are intended to accomplish, and what sanctions are applied. Sanctions are effective at communicating to your own citizens the seriousness of your resolve, but they are not likely to be effective in compelling an opponent country, especially a large, powerful, and self-sufficient one, to relinquish something that matters much more to it than your sanctions.