Legal scholar Erika de Wet and sanctions expert David Cortright team up to analyze the core principles of international human rights law in relation to the procedures for the imposition of targeted sanctions by the UN Security Council and the European Union. They conclude that while UN and EU listing and delisting procedures have improved in recent years, they still fall short of guaranteeing fundamental legal rights.
It is widely assumed that concerns about due process rights in listing and delisting procedures have impeded compliance with targeted sanctions against Al-Qaida and the Taliban. While most governments regard UN sanctions as essential tools in the fight against global terrorism and consider them among the most important instruments available to the Security Council, a growing number of states are concerned about flaws in the listing and delisting process. This paper examines designation patterns in sanctions targeting to determine if due process concerns are impeding the willingness of states to implement these measures.
This paper examines various policy reform options to improve listing and delisting procedures. It begins by evaluating reform efforts to date, and the work of the Focal Point. This is followed by an examination of options for improving information gathering and sharing through greater utilization of the Monitoring Team and Focal Point. The paper concludes with a summary of recommendations.
This paper highlights the importance of providing due process and respecting other fundamental human rights when countering terrorism and offers a set of recommendations for civil society organizations to consider in their efforts to support and sustain human rights as priority rather than postscript for measures to enhance security.
“United Nations Sanctions and Nuclear Weapons” by George A. Lopez and David Cortright, in The United Nations and Nuclear Orders, edited by Jane Boulden, Ramesh Thakur, and Thomas Weiss (United Nations University Press, 2009) pp. 111-131.
“Targeted Sanctions, Counter-Terrorism and Strategic Peace-Building” by George A. Lopez and David Cortright, in Strategies of Peace, edited by Daniel Philpott and Gerard F. Powers (Oxford University Press, 2009) pp. 169-188.
“The Sanctions Era: Themes and Trends in UN Security Council Sanctions Since 1990” by David Cortright, George A. Lopez, and Linda Gerber-Stellingwerf in The United Nations Security Council and War, edited by Vaughan Lowe, Adam Roberts, Jennifer Welsh, and Dominik Zaum (Oxford University Press, 2008) pp. 205-225.
The U.S. has announced new sanctions against Iran. David Cortright explores the implications.
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This report was the culmination of the “Security Council Counterterrorism Review Project” and highlights the successes and shortcomings of the post–September 2001 Security Council counterterrorism program and the steps that can be taken to improve it, in particular the work of the Counter-Terrorism Committee and the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate.
David Cortright affirms sanctions as an effective instrument to economically harm the leaders of the ruling military regime, but more importantly, to send a message of support and solidarity to the democracy movement within the country.
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