plant "dry grain" by its "tech-sanctions"?
{My favorite story of effective persuasion is this:
The state of East Chou wanted to plant rice but West Chou would not open river sluices to provide water. Sun Tzu asked the ruler of East Chou for permission to go and speak with the ruler of West Chou to get access to water.
Sun Tzu told the ruler of West Chou: Your plan is faulty. By withholding water from East Chou, you make her wealthy for her citizens sow to dry grain. If you open the sluices, you will ruin their seeds and East Chou must replant to rice. Then, in the future you may deny them the water and they will have to come to you as supplicants and take orders from your majesty.
The ruler of West Chou agreed and released the water. Sun Tzu received gold from both countries.
Kissinger’s 1973 Vietnam peace agreement, which turned the balance of power against the Vietnamese Nationalists, and his formula to please both Beijing and Washington over an interim status for Taiwan were classic Persuader ploys using words to distract attention away from unstated realities.}
