📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / Government of India
International
Sanctions and Tariffs: From Policy Tools to Weapons, Says P K Mishra
✍️ The Economic Times
🗓 04 Oct 2026, 09:32 AM
👁 12
Former diplomat P K Mishra warned that sanctions and tariffs are increasingly used as weapons in international relations, turning policy tools into instruments of coercion.
Former diplomat P K Mishra, who served as India’s ambassador to the United States and as Foreign Secretary, spoke at a policy forum about the changing nature of sanctions and tariffs.
He noted that these measures, once intended to influence state behavior, are now often deployed as punitive tools that can target entire economies.
Mishra highlighted the U.S. sanctions on Russia and the trade tariffs imposed on China, pointing out the severe economic repercussions and the broader geopolitical fallout.
He urged policymakers to weigh the humanitarian impact of such measures and to use them judiciously, warning that misuse could destabilize global trade and erode diplomatic trust.
He noted that these measures, once intended to influence state behavior, are now often deployed as punitive tools that can target entire economies.
Mishra highlighted the U.S. sanctions on Russia and the trade tariffs imposed on China, pointing out the severe economic repercussions and the broader geopolitical fallout.
He urged policymakers to weigh the humanitarian impact of such measures and to use them judiciously, warning that misuse could destabilize global trade and erode diplomatic trust.