15. Analysis and Conclusions

This concluding chapter critiques the imprecision with which practitioners and policy makers apply UN sanctions. It also analyzes UN sanctions cases in relation to their stated objectives, the surrounding political environment, and where relevant, the impact of the use of force. A fact of sanctions is that they do not work in isolation and as with any tool, sanctions have limits. However, the simultaneous use of UN sanctions and military force authorized under Article 42 of the UN Charter radically alters the equation. Building on the preceding chapters of the book, this chapter analyzes each UN sanctions case to qualify and quantify its fulfillment of UN policy objectives. We believe that the more important insight offered in this chapter, however, is that sanctions ineffectiveness is always rooted in a lack of commitment to the tool (political will) or its outright misuse, often by the most powerful nations. They are the same states that have reserved veto rights in exchange for their historic commitment to ensure international peace and security. The past fifty years, we demonstrate here, deliver ample evidence that in many conflicts, they have not lived up to their responsibility to elevate the maintenance of international peace and security over craven and interested policies. Therefore, the international community would do well to review this historic agreement underpinning the United Nations and its collective security arrangements.