The Global Sanctions Database (GSDB) is a publicly available dataset that allows users to track the evolving nature of sanctions and their effectiveness over time. It combines official sanction objectives, the array of instruments employed by senders and targets, and a well-defined metric capable of capturing the degree to which sanctions are successful.
This allows researchers to analyze the nuances of sanctions and their effect on different types of regimes and political systems. For example, a regime that has a strong ruling ideology has a tendency to portray external pressure as an assault on the nation as a whole, prompting people to rally round the flag and support the government. In contrast, a regime with a weak ruling ideology can be pushed to change by triggering the economic and political crisis that accompanies sanctions.
It is also possible to examine the costs that are imposed on the target country by the sanctions, which can provide an important insight into the motivation of states to act in this way. For example, the GSDB shows that the cost of sanctions to the target country is usually greater than to the sanctioner. This is a major reason why governments may choose to impose sanctions as a means of achieving their foreign policy goals without the burden and risks of war.
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