United Nations Sanctions Regimes and Selective Security
Global Institutions Series

This book investigates the selective nature of UN sanctions regimes with a specific focus on the post-Cold War era. Legally binding on all members, UN sanctions are the most effective and legitimate non-violent multilateral tools to respond to international security threats. They are also symbolically more powerful than unilateral or multilateral sanctions because they enjoy global support. However, while dozens of threats to international peace were met with UN sanctions since 1990, many others were not. How can we explain this incoherent approach? With a focus on the selectiveness, rather than effectiveness of UN sanctions the author reflects on the shifting geopolitical tensions between Security Council members and uses a variety of widely used academic datasets to provide a unique overview of what determines sanctions and sanctionable events. The primary audience will be scholars and students of international relations, international organizations, security studies, and political economy.

List of Figures

List of Tables

Acknowledgments

List of Abbreviations

Note on United Nations Documents

Chapter 1 – Introduction: United Nations Sanctions and Selective Security

The Selective Nature of UN Sanctions

After After Hegemony

Chapter 2 – A History of Sanctions and Selectivity

Sanctions and the League of Nations

UN Sanctions and the Cold War (1945-1989)

UN Sanctions Since 1990 – The Sanctions Decades

Contemporary UN Sanctions – More Targeted, Less Regimes

Chapter 3 – Presenting the Sanctionable Events Dataset: 1990 – 2022

Sanctions and Datasets

Sanctions and Norms

Sanctionable Events: 1990 – 2022

Proxies for Selectivity

Chapter 4 – Nuclear Proliferation and Selective UN Sanctions

Defining the Event

Nuclear proliferators before 1990

Nuclear Proliferators after 1990

Conclusions

Chapter 5 – Interstate Wars and Selective UN Sanctions

Defining the Event

A History of Interstate War and UN Responses

Interstate Wars and UN Sanctions Since 1990

Conclusions

Chapter 6 - Civil War and Selective UN Sanctions

Defining the Event

Selectivity in Time

Selectivity in Space

Governments vs. non-State Armed Groups

4 Hypotheses for Selectivity

Fuzzy Set Qualitative Comparative Analysis

A Shift in Selectivity: From Libya to Syria

Conclusions

Chapter 7 – Terrorism and Selective UN Sanctions

Defining the Event

State-Sponsored Terrorism and UN Sanctions since 1990

Al-Qaida and the War on Terror

UN Sanctions and on the War on Terror

Terrorism and Selective UN Sanctions

Conclusions

Chapter 8 – Coups d’état and Selective UN Sanctions

Defining the Event

A history of the offence - Coups d’état since 1946

Coups d’état and Selective UN Sanctions

Six Short Case Studies

Conclusions

Chapter 9 – Conclusions: United Nations Sanctions and Selective Security

United Nations Sanctions and Selective Security

Index

Thomas Kruiper (PhD) is an associate professor of International Relations at the Universidad Europea, Valencia. His research focuses on security studies and international sanctions. He also works as a development consultant in West Africa.