Sanctions are only effective because other countries agree to them. The fact that the US puts sanctions on a country, and every country agrees to stop dealing with the sanctioned country, shows that it’s not just the US’s opinion, but a collective decision. The US is extremely selective with their sanctions, because they only use them when they see that a country is risking the success of other countries.

Military action would lead to not only thousands of lost lives, but also put the country in crippling debt. Sanctions act as more of a push to stop misbehaving and are less violent and oppressive compared to military intervention.