The Guardian view on sanctions: an essential tool | Editorial

Neither pure diplomacy nor outright war, sanctions are often better than bothLast week Donald Trump grudgingly signed what he described as a “flawed” Russian sanctions bill into law. While the president has his own reasons to be concerned by putative links to Moscow, the sanctions are broad enough to potentially damage billions of dollars worth of oil and gas projects in Russia. The episode is noteworthy in all sorts of ways but it is a reminder also that sanctions are a centrepiece