ABSTRACT
The available evidence from pre-twentieth century experience, in its unsystematic form at any rate, surely fails to show developments in the political uses of embargoes. Propositions can be deduced from it regarding what kinds of countries apply embargoes and why they do so. George Modelski's theory has several implications for the analysis of embargoes. The prime mover of global warfare or embargoes is the dominant economy and controller of commercial routes, an assertion consistent with the standard view. The chapter discusses the general linkages between structure and embargoes. Embargoes, like other policies, are based on imperfect knowledge about the international environment. Embargoes and economic warfare have long been and are used principally by world powers against a wide spectrum of lessor powers to achieve foreign policy objectives. International organizations have nation-state memberships; they have coordinated embargo efforts on a global scale and raised issues and mobilized opinion independently of world powers' leadership.
