Agathe Demarais's Backfire critically examines the effectiveness and the long-term viability of sanctions as a policy tool for coercion. The book puts forward two arguments. First, the author contends that, beyond a few high-profile successes, sanctions have failed to influence the targeted states despite inflicting significant economic harm. Second, she argues that the backlash against sanctions is intensifying. Various actors are increasingly supportive of anti-sanctions policies and practices, which undermine the effectiveness and potency of this tool of pressure.

Demarais maintains that sanctions are most effective against democracies and when they have clearly outlined limited goals. Here, the author provides a valuable literature overview, which does not necessarily offer new insights. This is somewhat understandable, as Demarais does not write from an academic perspective looking to engage with the sanctions discourse. Instead, Backfire is written from the point of view of an economic forecaster and a former member of the French foreign service. Her industry perspective is illuminating when exploring how firms behave toward sanctions. Demarais aptly addresses how compliance departments interpret and interact with sanctions mandates, and she also explores the effects of individual sanctions on the global industry. Two case-studies are particularly strong: the Nord Stream II situation and the Rusal designation case. In the first, Demarais provides a deft analysis of how US sanctions on a vital hydrocarbon link between Russia and Europe strained transatlantic ties. Then, her exhaustive analysis of the Rusal case is a good example of how unpredictable sanctioning institutions integrated into the global supply chain can be. Rusal is a major aluminium manufacturer and imposing sanctions against it caused major disruptions for the global commodity market markets that US sanction practitioners did not anticipate.