فصلنامه بین المللی ژئوپلیتیک

فصلنامه بین المللی ژئوپلیتیک

Economic Sanctions and Sovereignty: Balancing Trade Laws and International Norms

نوع مقاله : مقاله پژوهشی

نویسندگان
1 Faculty of Law, University Kebangsaan, Malaysia.
2 College of Law, Al-Bayan University, Iraq.
3 College of Law, Al-Mustaqbal University, Iraq.
10.22034/igq.2025.544598.2071
چکیده
In recent decades, economic sanctions have become an increasingly preferred instrument of international diplomacy, aiming to enforce global norms without resorting to armed conflict. However, the expanding use of unilateral sanctions—particularly those with extraterritorial reach—has reignited tensions with foundational principles of state sovereignty and international trade law. Despite their growing prevalence, the legal legitimacy of these measures remains contested, with many occupying a gray area in international law. This study addresses the gap in scholarly consensus on the legal and normative status of unilateral sanctions vis-à-vis multilateral regimes. The central objective is to evaluate whether economic sanctions, especially those not authorized by the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), are legally compatible with principles of sovereignty, non-intervention, and World Trade Organization (WTO) rules. Employing doctrinal legal research, the article analyzes core instruments like the UN Charter, GATT Article XXI, case law, and academic literature. Key findings reveal that while UNSC-backed sanctions enjoy firm legal standing, unilateral sanctions challenge established norms, often triggering disputes over jurisdiction and extraterritoriality. The study concludes that while sanctions may serve legitimate policy aims, their legal justification must balance sovereignty, proportionality, and global normative commitments to maintain legitimacy within the international legal order.
کلیدواژه‌ها

موضوعات


عنوان مقاله English

Economic Sanctions and Sovereignty: Balancing Trade Laws and International Norms

نویسندگان English

Anussha A/P Komarasamy 1
Dhaifina Hani Mohmad Yusri 1
Eshraq Mahmood Shukur 2
Ali Hamza Nimrud 3
Mohd Izzat Amsyar Mohd Arif 1
1 Faculty of Law, University Kebangsaan, Malaysia.
2 College of Law, Al-Bayan University, Iraq.
3 College of Law, Al-Mustaqbal University, Iraq.
چکیده English

In recent decades, economic sanctions have become an increasingly preferred instrument of international diplomacy, aiming to enforce global norms without resorting to armed conflict. However, the expanding use of unilateral sanctions—particularly those with extraterritorial reach—has reignited tensions with foundational principles of state sovereignty and international trade law. Despite their growing prevalence, the legal legitimacy of these measures remains contested, with many occupying a gray area in international law. This study addresses the gap in scholarly consensus on the legal and normative status of unilateral sanctions vis-à-vis multilateral regimes. The central objective is to evaluate whether economic sanctions, especially those not authorized by the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), are legally compatible with principles of sovereignty, non-intervention, and World Trade Organization (WTO) rules. Employing doctrinal legal research, the article analyzes core instruments like the UN Charter, GATT Article XXI, case law, and academic literature. Key findings reveal that while UNSC-backed sanctions enjoy firm legal standing, unilateral sanctions challenge established norms, often triggering disputes over jurisdiction and extraterritoriality. The study concludes that while sanctions may serve legitimate policy aims, their legal justification must balance sovereignty, proportionality, and global normative commitments to maintain legitimacy within the international legal order.

کلیدواژه‌ها English

Economic Sanctions
State Sovereignty
International Trade Law
Non-Intervention
International Norms
1.       Abdullah, R. K; Daud, S; Abadi, A.M; Althabhawi, N.M; Khadim, M.M. (2025). The disruptive effects of ISIS on international trade in Iraq and Syria: An analysis of economic and political consequences. Geopolitics Quarterly, 21(2), 171–190.
2.       Althabhawi, N; Hui, C.J; Min, H.M; Xue, L; Bagheri, P; Al-Jubouri, O.S.A. (2024). An Analysis of the Impact of China's Belt and Road Initiative towards Malaysia. Geopolitics Quarterly, 20(Special Issue), 183-209.
3.       Althabhawi, N; Zainol, Z.A. (2014). The patent legal system in Iraq: The path to efficiency of its statutes. World Patent Information, 36, 32-35.
4.       Azmi, R; Azmy, A.S; Zahir, M.Z.M; Al-Dulaimi, A.H.A. (2023). Veto power: A legal debate in the United Nations Security Council. Geopolitics Quarterly, 19(Special Issue, summer), 37–58. DOR: 20.1001.1.17354331.1402.19.0.3.6.
5.       Batinga, J. (2024). Reconciling the global North–South divide on the use of force: Economic coercion and the evolving interpretation of Article 2 (4), Wisconsin International Law Journal, 41(2), 103–143. https://doi.org/10.59015/ wilj.RTPT8407.
6.       Bhengu, W. (2014). Do economic sanctions go against WTO rules? Thought Leader. https://thoughtleader.co.za/do-economic-sanctions-go-against-wtorules.
7.       Biersteker, T.J; Eckert, S.E; Tourinho, M. (2016). Targeted Sanctions: The Impacts and Effectiveness of United Nations Action. Cambridge University Press.
8.       Bring, O. (2000). The Westphalian Peace Tradition in International Law: From Jus ad Bellum to Jus contra Bellum. International Law Studies, 75, 57–80.
9.       Cambridge University Press. (2009). Norms reconstituting interests: global racial equality and U.S. sanctions against South Africa. Retrieved from https:// www.cambridge.org/core/journals/international-organization/article/ norms-rec- onstituting-interests-global-racial-equality-and-us-sanctions-against-south-africa /CB5F7697D42EE43215EA03A7C10CE2B4.
10.   Chatham House. (2023). Reforming UN Sanctions: Due Process and Humanitarian Exemptions. Retrieved from https://www.chathamhouse.org.
11.   De Wet, E. (2005). The Chapter VII Powers of the United Nations Security Council. Hart Publishing.
12.   Douhan, A.F. (2020). Report of the Special Rapporteur on the negative impact of unilateral coercive measures on the enjoyment of human rights (A/HRC/45/12). United Nations Human Rights Council. (Referenced in academic discussions, e.g., Fellmeth, 2023).
13.   Drezner, D.W. (2011). Sanctions sometimes smart: Targeted sanctions in theory and practice. International Studies Review, 13(1), 96–108. https://doi.org/ 10.1111/j.1468-2486.2010.01001.x.
14.   European Commission. (2018). Protecting EU companies against the effects of extra-territorial application of third country laws (the “blocking statute”). Retrieved from https://ec.europa.eu/.
15.   European Council. (2014). EU restrictive measures in response to the crisis in Ukraine.https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/policies/sanctions/ukraine-crisis/.
16.   European Council. (2022). EU response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/policies/eu-response-ukraine-invasion/.
17.   European External Action Service. (2024). European Union sanctions. https://www.eeas.europa.eu/eeas/european-union-sanctions_en.
18.   Farrall, J.M. (2007). United Nations sanctions and the rule of law. Cambridge UniversityPress.https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/united-nations-sanct- ions-and-the-rule-of-law/9FDD007B7B984CAFBAFA93CC05CB32F6
19.   Fellmeth, A. (2023). Unilateral sanctions under international human rights law: Correcting the record. Yale Journal of International Law. https://yjil. Yale. Edu/ posts/2023-09-06-unilateral-sanctions-under-international-human-rights-law-correcting-the-record.
20.   General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (1947) https://www.wto. Org/English /docs_e/legal_e/gatt47_e.htm.
21.   Geranmayeh, E; Lafont Rapnouil, M. (2019). Meeting the challenge of secondary sanctions. European Council on Foreign Relations. https://ecfr.eu/ publication/meeting_the_challenge_of_secondary_sanctions/.
22.   Gheyle, N; De Ville, F. (2017). Explaining the post-crisis turn in EU trade policy: Ideas, interests and institutional constraints. Comparative European Politics, 15(6), 818–838.
23.   Gibson Dunn. (2020). 2019 Year-End Sanctions Update. https://www. Gib- sondunn.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/2019-year-end-sanctions-update.pdf.
24.   Guzman, A. (2021). Extraterritoriality and the Limits of Sanctions. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net.
25.   Hendrik Spruyt (1994). The Sovereign State and Its Competitors: An Analysis of Systems Change. Princeton University Press.
26.   Howse, R; Teitel, R. (2010). Beyond compliance: Rethinking why international law really matters. Global Policy, 1(2), 127–136.
27.   Human Rights Watch. (2019). “Maximum Pressure”: US economic sanctions harm Iranians’ right to health. https://www.hrw.org/report/2019/10/29/ max- imum-pressure/us-economic-sanctions-harm-iranians-right-health.
28.   Human Rights Watch. (2021). Reflections on apartheid and persecution in international law.https://www.hrw.org/news/2021/07/09/human-rights-watch-responds-reflections-apartheid-and-persecution-international-law.
29.   International Court of Justice. (1986). Military and Paramilitary Activities in and against Nicaragua (Nicaragua v. United States of America), Merits, Judgment of 27 June 1986. https://www.icj-cij.org/case/53.
30.   International Law Commission. (2019). Fifth Report on Peremptory Norms (Jus Cogens), Chapter V: Definition of a peremptory norm of general international law as a norm from which no derogation is permitted (A/CN.4/715). United Nations. https://legal.un.org/ilc/reports/2019/english/chp5.pdf.
31.   Jaeger, J. (2021). Circumventing sovereignty: Extraterritorial sanctions leveraging the technologies of the financial system. Swiss Political Science Review.https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/spsr.12436.
32.   Jia, Y. (2023). Global human rights sanctions and state sovereignty: does the new tool challenge the old order? Athena – Critical Inquiries in Law, Philosophy and Globalization, 3(2), 1–36. https://doi.org/10.6092/issn.2724-6299/17357.
33.   Julié, W; Menegon, S; Murgier, A. (2024). United States extraterritoriality: European Union sovereignty at stake. International Bar Association Legal Pra- ctice Division.https://www.ibanet.org/article/cf85e59e-6564-4aa3-9408-3f47c6 449c9d.
34.   Mishra, V. (2024). General Assembly renews longstanding call for end to US embargo against Cuba. UN News. https://news.un.org/en/story/2024/10/115 6316.
35.   Mitchell, A; Nzelibe, J. (2006). Security exceptions and the WTO: Reinterpreting Article XXI of the GATT. Virginia Journal of International Law, 46(2), 365–416.
36.   Müller, T. (2020). The extraterritorial reach of sanctions: A study of U.S. and EU approaches. Journal of International Economic Law, 23(2), 211-238.
37.   Opinio Juris. (2019a). Panel Report in Russia – Traffic in Transit (DS512): Analysis of the Security Exception in GATT Article XXI. Retrieved from https://opiniojuris.org.
38.   Opinio Juris. (2019b). WTO and National Security: Russia-Ukraine Transit Case. Retrieved from https://opiniojuris.org.
39.   Osiander, A. (2001). Sovereignty, international relations, and the Westphalian myth. International Organization, 55(2), 251–287. https://doi.org/10.1162/ 00208180151140577.
40.   Othman, M.B. (2000). Remote sensing: Capabilities and legal issues. Journal of Law and Society, 4, 1–14.
41.   Pirani, S; Naderi, M. (2024). The causes of ineffectiveness of US sanctions against the Islamic Republic of Iran based on the political, economic and geopolitical components. Geopolitics Quarterly, 19(4), 314–337. https://doi.org/10.22034/igq.2023.185746.
42.   Ramalinggam, R; Noh, N.I.M; Dahlan, N.K. (2015). Penggunaan emas dan perak dalam menentukan nilai pampasan diyat: Suatu analisis ke atas nilaian pertukaran mata wang semasa. Journal of Law and Society, 19, 29–40.
43.   Review of International Studies. (1996). Norms and sanctions: lessons from the socialization of South Africa, 22(2), 173–190. https://doi.org/10.1017/S026 0210500118364.
44.   Sefriani, S; Julian, A.R; Monteiro, S. (2024). Shedding light on WTO jurisdiction and preventing abuse of the security exception provision. Lex Scientia Law Review, 8(2). https://doi.org/10.15294/lslr.v8i2.13473.
45.   Sthoeger, E. (2024). Article 103 of the United Nations Charter: Uncharted possibilities? The Ukraine conflict and beyond. Michigan Journal of International Law, 45(2), 153–XXX. https://doi.org/10.36642/mjil.45.2.article.
46.   Thakur, R. (2006). The United Nations, Peace and Security: From Collective Security to the Responsibility to Protect. Cambridge University Press.
47.   U.S. Department of the Treasury. (n.d.). Sanctions programs and country information. https://home.treasury.gov/policy-issues/financial-sanctions/ sanct- ions- programs-and-country-information.
48.   United Nations General Assembly. (2000). Resolution A/RES/55/20 – Extraterritorial effects of laws and measures such as the Helms–Burton Act (Explanation of vote). UN Press Release.
49.   United Nations General Assembly. (2019). Resolution A/RES/74/7 – Necessity of ending the economic, commercial and financial embargo imposed by the United States of America against Cuba.
50.   United Nations General Assembly. (1970). Declaration on Principles of International Law concerning Friendly Relations and Cooperation among States in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations(A/RES/2625(XXV)). Retrieved from United Nations Treaty Collection.
51.   United Nations General Assembly. (1973). International Convention on the Suppression and Punishment of the Crime of Apartheid. A/RES/3068(XXVIII). https://legal.un.org/avl/ha/cspca/cspca.html.
52.   United Nations General Assembly. (1981). Declaration on the Inadmissibility of Intervention and Interference in the Internal Affairs of States (A/RES/36/103). UN Digital Library. https://digitallibrary.un.org/record/27066.
53.   United Nations General Assembly. (2005). 2005 World Summit Outcome, A/RES/60/1, paras. 138–139.https://undocs.org/A/RES/60/1.
54.   United Nations Security Council. (2022). Resolution 2664 (2022): Humanitarian carve-outs in UN sanctions regimes. Retrieved from https://www.un.org/securitycouncil.
55.   United Nations Security Council. (2006). Resolution 1696 (2006). https://undocs.org/S/RES/1696 (2006).
56.   United Nations Security Council. (2015). Resolution 2231 (2015). https://main.un.org/securitycouncil/en/content/2231.
57.   United Nations Security Council. (n.d.). Repertoire of the Practice of the Security Council: Actions with respect to threats to the peace, breaches of the peace, and acts of aggression (Chapter VII). United Nations. https://main.un.org/securitycouncil/en/content/repertoire/actions.
58.   United Nations. (1945). Charter of the United Nations and Statute of the International Court of Justice.
59.   United Nations. (2023). Subsidiary organs of the United Nations Security Council. https://main.un.org/securitycouncil/sites/default/files/subsidiary_ orga- ns_series_7sep23_.pdf.
60.   Whyte, J. (2022). Economic coercion and financial war. Journal of Australian Political Economy, (90), 5–25. https://www.ppesydney.net/content/ uploads/ 2022/12/1_Whyte.pdf.
61.   World Trade Organization. (1995). Analytical index of the GATT: Article XXI – Security exceptions. https://www.wto.org/english/res_e/booksp_e/gatt_ai_ e/art21_e.pdf.
62.   World Trade Organization. (2019). Russia – Measures Concerning Traffic in Transit: Report of the Panel, WT/DS512/R. https://docs.wto.org/dol2fe/Pages/ SS/directdoc.aspx?filename=q:/WT/DS/512R.pdf.
63.   Yee, V. V; Sivakumar, S.N; Razali, N.I; Mahpop, A; Suaree, N.A.S.M; Al-Shafi’I, A.H.N. (2024). The limits of security exceptions in the World Trade Organization system. Geopolitics Quarterly, 20(Special Issue, winter), 140–161.
دوره 21، شماره ویژه
زمستان 1404
صفحه 178-200

  • تاریخ دریافت 18 شهریور 1404
  • تاریخ بازنگری 21 مهر 1404
  • تاریخ پذیرش 24 مهر 1404