Bruce W. Jentleson is William Preston Few Professor of Public Policy and Professor of Political Science at Duke University, as well as a 2022 Distinguished Fellow of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and Non-Resident Senior Fellow at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. He received the 2018 American Political Science Association (APSA) International Security Section Joseph J. Kruzel Award for Distinguished Public Service. He has served in a number of US foreign policy positions, including as Senior Advisor to the State Department Policy Planning Director (2009-11). He is Co-Director of the Bridging the Gap project promoting greater policy relevance among academics. His other books include The Peacemakers, American Foreign Policy, The End of Arrogance, and Pipeline Politics.

"I'm often told how vital and effective sanctions are. Then I trip across confident assertions that sanctions seldom accomplish what they're supposed to. So I'm thankful that experts like my Duke University colleague Bruce Jentleson are around to resolve my confusion and explain it all, as he does in his new book." -- Frank Bruni , The New York Times

"In this deeply researched and accessible book, Bruce Jentleson combines broad historical knowledge and deep analytical insights to help us understand how, when, and why the world's major powers and leading international organizations are able to use economic sanctions successfully to get what they want in world affairs-and when they aren't." -- James Goldgeier, Professor of International Relations, American University

"In a moment when sanctions dominate the headlines, Jentleson explore the questions everyone has - how and when do these crucial policy tools work. Complementing a review of the scholarly literature with in-depth case studies, this approachable book provides meaningful insight to anyone curious about the effectiveness of sanctions and how these complex policy tools can be used to shape world politics." -- Susan Hannah Allen, Associate Professor of Political Science, University of Mississippi