[
  {"name":"Iran Sanctions","slug":"iran","target":"Iran","startYear":1979,"status":"Active — Maximum Pressure","estimatedCost":1500,"description":"The most comprehensive US sanctions regime, targeting Iran's oil exports, banking system, and nuclear program. Sanctions have been tightened and loosened across administrations, from the 1979 hostage crisis through the 2015 JCPOA nuclear deal to the current 'maximum pressure' campaign.","impact":"Iran's oil exports dropped from 2.5 million barrels/day to under 500,000. GDP contracted 6% in 2019. Inflation reached 40%+. However, Iran has developed sanctions evasion networks, advanced its nuclear program, and deepened ties with China and Russia.","keyFact":"Iran sanctions cost the average Iranian family an estimated $3,400/year in purchasing power. The US has sanctioned over 1,500 Iranian entities."},
  {"name":"Russia Sanctions","slug":"russia","target":"Russia","startYear":2014,"status":"Active — Escalating","estimatedCost":3000,"description":"Sanctions imposed after Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014, dramatically expanded following the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. The most significant sanctions against a major economy since WWII, targeting Russia's central bank, sovereign wealth fund, energy exports, and technology imports.","impact":"Russia's GDP initially contracted 2.1% in 2022 but partially recovered through oil sales to China and India. The ruble crashed then recovered. Long-term damage: technology sector isolation, brain drain of 500,000+ educated Russians, and frozen $300B in central bank reserves.","keyFact":"Despite being the most sanctioned country on Earth (11,000+ designations), Russia's oil revenue in 2023 exceeded pre-war levels due to sales to China and India at discounted prices."},
  {"name":"North Korea Sanctions","slug":"north-korea","target":"North Korea","startYear":2006,"status":"Active — Maximum Pressure","estimatedCost":100,"description":"Multilateral sanctions targeting North Korea's nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs. The most isolated economy on Earth faces UN Security Council sanctions, US secondary sanctions, and near-total trade restrictions.","impact":"North Korea's formal economy is devastated, with GDP estimated at $28 billion. However, the regime has developed sophisticated sanctions evasion through cryptocurrency theft ($1.7B stolen in 2022), ship-to-ship oil transfers, and overseas forced labor.","keyFact":"Despite decades of maximum sanctions, North Korea has conducted 6 nuclear tests and developed ICBMs capable of reaching the US mainland. Sanctions have not achieved denuclearization."},
  {"name":"Cuba Embargo","slug":"cuba","target":"Cuba","startYear":1962,"status":"Active — 63 Years","estimatedCost":500,"description":"The longest-running US sanctions regime, in effect since 1962. The comprehensive trade embargo was imposed to pressure the Castro government and has survived 11 US presidents, the end of the Cold War, and near-annual UN General Assembly votes condemning it.","impact":"Cuba's GDP growth has been stunted for decades. Medical and food shortages are chronic. The UN estimates cumulative economic damage to Cuba at $154 billion. However, the Castro government survived and the embargo is widely considered a failed policy.","keyFact":"The UN General Assembly has voted to condemn the Cuba embargo every year since 1992, most recently 187-2 in 2024. Only the US and Israel vote to maintain it."},
  {"name":"Venezuela Sanctions","slug":"venezuela","target":"Venezuela","startYear":2017,"status":"Active — Fluctuating","estimatedCost":400,"description":"Sanctions targeting Venezuela's oil sector, government officials, and central bank. Initially imposed over democratic backsliding under Maduro, sanctions have been tightened and partially relaxed as the US seeks leverage over migration and oil supply.","impact":"Venezuela's oil production dropped from 2.3 million barrels/day in 2015 to 700,000 in 2020. GDP collapsed 75% from 2014-2021. However, corruption, mismanagement, and falling oil prices caused much of the decline independent of sanctions.","keyFact":"7.7 million Venezuelans have fled the country since 2014 — the largest displacement crisis in the Western Hemisphere. The humanitarian impact of sanctions remains hotly debated."},
  {"name":"Syria Sanctions","slug":"syria","target":"Syria","startYear":2011,"status":"Active — Under Review","estimatedCost":200,"description":"Comprehensive sanctions imposed during the Syrian Civil War, targeting the Assad regime's finances, oil sector, and military suppliers. The Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act (2020) extended secondary sanctions to any entity doing business with the Syrian government.","impact":"Syria's economy has contracted 60%+ since 2011. The Syrian pound lost 99% of its value. 90% of the population lives below the poverty line. Sanctions have complicated humanitarian aid delivery and post-conflict reconstruction.","keyFact":"Following the fall of the Assad regime in late 2024, the US faces pressure to lift sanctions to enable reconstruction, but concerns over the new government have delayed action."},
  {"name":"Myanmar Sanctions","slug":"myanmar","target":"Myanmar","startYear":2021,"status":"Active","estimatedCost":50,"description":"Sanctions reimposed after the February 2021 military coup that overthrew the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi. Targets include military leaders, military-owned enterprises, and the gems and timber sectors that fund the junta.","impact":"Limited economic impact due to Myanmar's existing isolation and the junta's access to revenue from natural gas, gems, and timber. China and Russia continue to provide diplomatic cover and arms sales.","keyFact":"Myanmar's military earns an estimated $1.8 billion/year from natural gas exports that are largely exempt from Western sanctions."},
  {"name":"China/Hong Kong Sanctions","slug":"china","target":"China & Hong Kong","startYear":2020,"status":"Active — Technology Focus","estimatedCost":5000,"description":"A growing web of sanctions and export controls targeting China's technology sector, military-linked companies, and officials involved in Hong Kong repression and Xinjiang human rights abuses. Includes sweeping semiconductor export controls aimed at slowing China's AI and military capabilities.","impact":"China's semiconductor industry has been set back an estimated 5-10 years in advanced chips. However, China has accelerated domestic production, stockpiled equipment, and developed workarounds. The sanctions have accelerated economic decoupling between the world's two largest economies.","keyFact":"US semiconductor export controls affect an estimated $50 billion in annual trade and have been called 'the most significant technology export restrictions since the Cold War.'"}
]