International Sanctions: A Framework for Analysis with Special Reference to the UN and Southern Africa

Abstract

This paper falls into two main parts. In Part I an attempt is made to develop a simple framework which can be used for analyzing the role of sanctions, with special reference to international sanctions. 1 In Part II this framework is used to investigate the status of the United Nations as a sanctioning body and, in particular, the relationship between the UN and Southern Africa where Rhodesia has been subjected to international economic sanctions since 1965 and South Africa has been under threat of similar measures since the early 1960s. 2

Political Institutions, Coercive Diplomacy, and the Duration of Economic Sanctions

“…Although most scholars take for granted the usefulness of economic sanctions, with the exception of recent work by Dorussen and Mo (2001) and Bolks and Al-Sowayel (2000), little scholarly analysis focuses on the duration of sanctions. Most political theorists investigate the success of economic sanctions as an instrument of foreign policy (e.g., Baldwin 1985;Dashti-Gibson, Davis, and Radcliff 1997;Rogers 1996;Lenway 1988;Hass and O'Sullivan 2000;Hart 2000;Hass 1998;Doxey 1987). Proponents argue that economic sanctions can be as effective as military force and are safer and cheaper (Baldwin 1985).…”

Modeling Selection Bias in Studies of Sanctions Efficacy

“…This enterprise has been the subject of numerous historical case studies (Galtung, 1967, andDoxey, 1972, are the classic studies) of highly celebrated sanctions episodes, typically the UN-backed sanctions against Rhodesia and South Africa. With the publication of Economic Sanctions Reconsidered in 1985, the academic community for the first time had access to a large-n dataset of sanction cases.…”

“…The question of why sanctions succeed has received considerable attention in political science research (Galtung, 1967;Doxey, 1972;Dashti-Gibson et al, 1997;Drezner, 1998Drezner, , 1999Drezner, , 2000Hart, 2000;Bolks and Al-Sowayel, 2000;Schwebach, 1995, 1997;Morgan and Miers, 1999). However, while numerous articles have been written attempting to test various hypotheses empirically about sanctions success, they are all guilty of the same mistake: selection bias.…”

The Politics of Leverage in International Relations

“…In her classic 1972 International Organization article analyzing the use of sanctions against Rhodesia, Margaret Doxey argued that the target's knowledge about both the norm and the penalty were essential for evaluating the effectiveness of sanctions. In what she termed "the communication factor," she emphasized the importance of "the extent to which norms and penalties are comprehended" (Doxey 1972).…”