Embargo is the prohibition by a country of the departure
of ships or certain types of goods from its ports. Instances
of confining all domestic ships to port are rare, and the
Embargo Act of 1807 is the sole example of this in American
history. The detention of foreign vessels has occurred more
often, either as an act of reprisal designed to coerce diplomatic
redress, or in contemplation of war with the country to which
the vessels belonged. Embargoes on goods, however, are far
more common. Although an embargo can cripple a nation's
economy, the use of an embargo alone has typically failed to
achieve the goal its imposition was intended to secure.