effect · send_embargo

Hands-On Usage

send_embargo is commonly used in diplomatic gameplay mods, such as automatically initiating trade sanctions against a target nation when certain countries trigger trade friction events or ideological tensions escalate. It is also suitable for use after completing decisions or focuses to simulate historical economic blockades (such as pre-war resource cutoffs against the Axis or Allied powers).

# In the complete_effect of a focus or decision
effect = {
    GER = {               # Switch to Germany scope
        send_embargo = {
            target = USA  # Send embargo to USA
        }
    }
}

Synergy

• [break_embargo](/wiki/effect/break_embargo) — Forms a pair with send_embargo, ideal for lifting previously imposed embargoes in diplomatic improvement events, creating a complete sanctions-removal cycle.
• [add_opinion_modifier](/wiki/effect/add_opinion_modifier) — Embargoes typically accompany deteriorating diplomatic relations; applying negative opinion modifiers in parallel makes diplomatic consequences more realistic.
• [create_wargoal](/wiki/effect/create_wargoal) — In scenarios where economic blockades escalate into military conflict, embargoes can serve as a prerequisite step for war justifications, complementing wargoals to create a more complete logical chain.
• [has_country_flag](/wiki/trigger/has_country_flag) — Use flags to track "embargo sent" status, preventing duplicate embargo logic triggers between the same pair of nations and maintaining script idempotency.

Common Pitfalls

1. Scope confusion: send_embargo must be executed within the country scope of the embargo initiator (sanctioning nation); the target field should contain the sanctioned nation. Beginners often mistakenly write it in the sanctioned nation's scope, causing the embargo direction to be completely reversed.
2. Incorrect target syntax: The target field must contain a concrete country TAG (such as USA, GER); it cannot be a bare country name string, otherwise parsing fails silently with no error message, leaving the embargo ineffective and undetected.