Sanctions, on Rise, Are as Deadly as Armed Conflict, Study Says

Sanctions can cause as many fatalities as armed conflict, with unilateral penalties being associated with more than half a million deaths per year, according to a new analysis.

Unilateral and economic sanctions imposed by the US and the European Union lead to a substantial increase in mortality that disproportionately hurts children younger than five years old, the study published in the Lancet Global Health journal found. Sanctions can hobble public health provision and keep humanitarian organizations from operating effectively, weighing on the death toll.