United Nations Sanctions: Effectiveness and Effects, Especially in the Field of Human Rights. A Multi-disciplinary Approach

Sanctions are generally considered to be a ‘blunt instrument’, involving a series of negative side effects in the field of human rights. In this volume, resulting from a conference at Tilburg University in the Netherlands, the problem is being discussed from the perspective of various disciplines: economics, political science, sociology, international law, development studies and ethics. The book’s final chapter presents some guidelines on the future use of sanctions. It relates to such issues as the specificity of the objectives of sanctions; the proportionality between objectives and instruments chosen; the possibility to influence the positions of the rulers; the linkage between external and internal pressure; the means to minimize humanitarian damage; the duration of the sanctions; and, finally, the question as to what extent multilateral sanctions are more legitimate than unilateral ones.