> Honestly, is there any example ever where economic sanctions have forced a government to become less authoritarian? Arguably the Eastern Bloc and Soviet Unio

> Honestly, is there any example ever where economic sanctions have forced a government to become less authoritarian? Arguably the Eastern Bloc and Soviet Union. If they had been integrated into the Western economic system on favorable terms [1], material conditions there may not have been as bad and may not have fell in the late 80s/early 90s. [1] Such as being allowed to buy things on credit or buy advanced technology. IIRC, the Soviets were only allowed to trade with hard currency, and they were forbidden from buying most of the things they actually wanted.