The US dollar is the world's indispensable currency. The dollar's
preeminent status gives the United States enormous coercive powers
which it flexes in the form of financial sanctions to punish its
adversaries. Over the last twenty years, Washington has relied on
financial sanctions with greater and greater frequency. Bucking the
Buck argues that the more the United States wields the dollar as a
weapon of foreign policy, the more its adversaries will move their
international economic activities into other currencies to avoid
Washington's coercive reach. Through a combination of case studies
and statistical analysis, the book establishes a relationship
between US financial sanctions and the rise of "anti-dollar"
policies, which are designed to reduce an economy's reliance on the
US currency. Though some anti-dollar policies fail to achieve this
goal, McDowell's analysis indicates that in many cases they are
successful. Patterns of "de-dollarization" following sanctions are
clear. In some cases, the anticipation of future sanctions may
provoke similar policy measures. Though McDowell does not conclude
that sanctions threaten the dollar's status as the world's key
currency, the potential consequences of sanctions overuse remain
important. Most notably, the use of sanctions may, over time,
weaken their effectiveness as US adversaries develop systems and
methods to minimize costs associated with such measures. If the
United States wishes to preserve the potency of financial sanctions
and protect the dollar's dominant position in the world economy,
Bucking the Buck argues that Washington's approach to sanctions use
should become more discerning.
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