Economic Sanctions Reform and International Institutions

As discussed in chapter 1, Woodrow Wilson’s vision for collective security in the League of Nations involved economic sanctions playing an important role in deterring nation states from using armed aggression to settle their disputes. Although Wilson’s League foundered on the rocks of militarism and great power rivalries, it provided the basis for the creation of the United Nations and for the institutional authority of the General Assembly and Security Council to adopt international economic sanctions. Indeed, the UN Security Council may adopt resolutions pursuant to chapter VII of the UN Charter which authorise it to take whatever measures necessary, short of the use of force in response to a breach of peace and security or a threat to peace and security. These measures may include economic sanctions against targeted states or non-state actors. In the 1990s, the Security Council began using economic sanctions more often against states and non-state actors. The most prominent episode of UN economic sanctions during this period was against Iraq, which occurred between 1991 and 2003, and they were the most comprehensive imposed against any country in modern times. This chapter suggests that their success in disarming and incapacitating Saddam Hussein’s weapons development programme can be a model for devising future sanctions regimes against recalcitrant states.