Indeed, sanctions may have been critical to the process because the NATO airstrikes initially rallied the public around the regime. Under U.S. law, countries can be sanctioned for dozens of offenses. Sanctions can be imposed for mislabeling tuna under the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972, which tries to ensure that commercial tuna-fishing practices don't kill dolphins and other species. A country can even be slapped with U.S. sanctions if its diplomats fail to pay parking fines. Prescribed punishments also vary widely.
Sanctions typically restrict or prohibit commercial trade with the United States or U.S. businesses.
Sanctions are under fire in large part because of their frequent failure, especially when applied by a lone country, as is the case with most U.S. embargoes. In a wide range of situations, people want to do something short of sending troops. Too often, sanctions are used to fill that need to act without asking if that is the appropriate instrument. The increasing complexity of world commerce as international barriers fall also diminishes the effectiveness of embargoes, Haass said. The limits of sanctions are particularly visible in Iraq.