One of the ineffective aspects of sanctions is that they target individuals who already have the resources to evade them. Evasion skills are accumulative, and Syria has been under one form of sanctions or another since 1979. Regime sympathizers further facilitate the process through a network of lawyers and bankers whose specialty is sanctions evasion. Because of the high reward a business front gains for services provided on behalf of sanctioned individuals, and the lack of any repercussions, sanctions are not achieving their full potential. If strengthening the sanctions programs along the suggested lines is the stick, the carrot should be creating or strengthening the space for businesses who find themselves with no other choice but to rely on the regime and work for its benefit. Both the carrot and the stick require a strong and sincere effort from the concerned countries. The successful end of the sanctions can be achieved by a political solution to the Syrian crisis that ends human rights abuses. Based on the interviews, research and experience, this paper analyses some of these practices, and provides the following recommendations as focus areas for action.