embargo

1. A government order prohibiting the movement of merchant ships into or out of its ports.
2. A prohibition by a government on certain or all trade with a foreign nation.
3. A prohibition; a ban: an embargo on criticism.

[Spanish, from embargar, to impede, from Vulgar Latin *imbarricāre, to barricade : Latin in-, in; see en-¹ + Vulgar Latin *barricāre, to barricade (from *barrīca, barrel, barrier , from *barra, bar, barrier).]

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Government prohibition against the shipment of certain goods to another country. An embargo is most common during wartime, but is sometimes applied for economic reasons as well. For instance, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries placed an embargo on the shipment of oil to the West in the early 1970s to protest Israeli policies and to raise the price of petroleum.

Definition: prohibition
Antonyms: allowance

n. pl. -oes 1. an official ban on trade or other commercial activity with a particular country: an embargo on grain sales | the oil embargo of 1973.

2. an official prohibition on any activity.

3. an order of a state forbidding foreign ships to enter, or any ships to leave, its ports.

1. (usually be embargoed) impose an official ban on (trade or a country or commodity): the country has been virtually embargoed by most of the noncommunist world.

2. officially ban the publication of: documents of national security importance are routinely embargoed.

3. archaic seize (a ship or goods) for state service.

See the Introduction, Abbreviations and Pronunciation for further details.

A proclamation or order of government, usually issued in time of war or threatened hostilities, prohibiting the departure of ships or goods from some or all ports until further order. Government order prohibiting commercial trade with individuals or businesses of other specified nations. Legal prohibition on commerce.

The temporary or permanent sequestration of the property of individuals for the purposes of a government, e.g., to obtain vessels for the transport of troops, the owners being reimbursed for this forced service.

A governmental restriction on trade for political purposes. The objective is to put pressure on other governments by prohibiting exports to or imports from those countries.

• Release Date: 1977
• Genre: Action
• Style: Overhead View Action

For delayed access after publication, see Embargo (academic publishing).

It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Economic sanctions. (Discuss)

The examples and perspective in this article may not represent a worldwide view of the subject. Please improve this article and discuss the issue on the talk page.

This article is about the economic term. For press embargoes, see News embargo.

An embargo is the partial or complete prohibition of commerce and trade with a particular country, in order to isolate it. Embargos are considered strong diplomatic measures imposed in an effort, by the embargo-imposing-country, to elicit a given national-interest result from the country on which it is imposed. Embargos are similar to economic sanctions and are generally considered legal barriers to trade, not to be confused with blockades, which are often considered to be acts of war^[1].

The Embargo of 1807 was a series of laws passed by the U.S. Congress 1806-1808, during the second term of President Thomas Jefferson. Britain and France were engaged in a major war; the U.S. wanted to remain neutral and trade with both sides, but neither side wanted the other to have the American supplies. The American national-interest goal was to use the new laws to avoid war, punish Britain, and force that country to respect American rights.^[2].

One of the most comprehensive attempts at an embargo happened during the Napoleonic Wars. In an attempt to cripple the United Kingdom economically, the Continental System- which forbade European nations from trading with the UK- was created. In practice it was not completely enforceable and was as harmful if not more so to the nations involved than to the British.^{[citation needed]}

The United States imposed an embargo on Cuba's Castro government on February 7, 1962.^[3] Misnomered by Cuba as "el bloqueo" (the blockade), the US embargo on Cuba remains as one of the longest standing embargos. While talking some steps to allow limited economic exchanges with Cuba, President Barack Obama stated that, without improved human rights and freedoms by Cuba's current government, the embargo remains "in the national interest of the United States." The embargo has, thus far, had very limited success in bringing about any such changes in Cuban policies, as it is widely criticized and has, more significantly, been completely disregarded, even by many countries considered to be avowed allies of the United States.

Oddly enough, United States law prohibits participation in secondary embargoes.^{[citation needed]} This occurs when one country pressures a business to stop doing business with a third country over issues with which the business is not directly involved. Not only is an American business required not to participate in a secondary embargo, but is also required to report all attempts to get a business to participate in a secondary embargo. The situation which led to these laws are attempts by Arab countries to prevent American companies from doing business with Israel and Iraq.^{[citation needed]}

In effort to punish South Africa for its policies of apartheid, The United Nation General Assembly adopted a voluntary international oil embargo against South Africa on November 20, 1987; that embargo had the support of 130 countries.^[4]

Embargoes are complex in their international meaning. In response to embargos, an independent economy or autarky often develops in an area subjected to heavy embargo. Effectiveness of embargos are thus necessarily in direct proportion to the extent and degree of international participation.

Notes

1. ^ "Blockade as Act of War". Crimes of War Project. http://www.crimesofwar.org/thebook/blockade-act-war.html. Retrieved 2008-10-13. 
2. ^ "Embargo of 1807t". http://en.citizendium.org/wiki/Embargo_of_1807. 
3. ^ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_embargo_against_Cuba
4. ^ "Oil Embargo against Apartheid South Africa on richardknight.com". http://richardknight.homestead.com/files/oilembargo.htm. 

See also

• 1973 oil crisis
• European Union arms embargo on the People's Republic of China
• Embargo Act of 1807
• Former Yugoslavia Embargo November 21, 1995 Dayton Peace Accord
• United States embargoes
• United States embargo against Cuba
• United States embargo against Nigeria
• CoCom

• Boycott
• International sanctions

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Dansk (Danish)
n. - embargo, handelsforbud, handelssanktion, hindring
v. tr. - belægge med embargo, beslaglægge, rekvirere, konfiskere

Nederlands (Dutch)
embargo, uitvoerverbod, handelsverbod, beletsel

Français (French)
n. - (Pol, Comm, Naut, etc) embargo, (fig) interdiction, restriction
v. tr. - instaurer un embargo, (fig) interdire

Deutsch (German)
n. - Embargo, Sperre
v. - sperren

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - εμπάργκο, οικονομικός αποκλεισμός, παρεμπόδιση
v. - (οικον.) επιβάλλω εμπάργκο/οικονομικό αποκλεισμό

Italiano (Italian)
embargo

Português (Portuguese)
n. - embargo (m), proibição (f)
v. - embargar, proibir, confiscar

Русский (Russian)
эмбарго, наложить эмбарго

Español (Spanish)
n. - embargo
v. tr. - embargar, prohibir la entrada o salida de buques o mercancías

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - handelsförbud, beslag, embargo
v. - sätta i handelsförbud

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
封港令, 阻止, 禁运, 禁止出入港口

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 封港令, 阻止, 禁運
v. tr. - 禁止出入港口, 禁運

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 억류, 통상 정지, 금지
v. tr. - 출항 금지를 명하다, 입항 금지를 명하다

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 出港禁止, 通商禁止, 制限
v. - 出入港を禁止する, 輸出入を禁止する

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) حظر (فعل) يفرض حظرا‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮אמברגו, מעצר, הסגר, איסור על כניסה לנמלי מדינה ויציאה מהם, השעייה רשמית של מסחר או פעילות אחרת‬
v. tr. - ‮אמברגו, הטיל אמברגו על, מעצר, הסגר‬

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