How to Toughen Russia Sanctions
Journal Article — 19 September 2025 “How to Toughen Russia Sanctions,” by David Cortright, The National Interest, (19 September 2025). “The time to tempt Putin with concessions is over. Serious pressure is needed now to signal resolve in supporting Ukraine and impose tighter restrictions on Russia’s war-making capacity. Viable options are available for strengthening existing […]
To Support Peace Efforts, the West Needs a Coordinated Way to Effectively Reduce Sanctions
Journal Article — 27 February 2025 “To Support Peace Efforts, the West Needs a Coordinated Way to Effectively Reduce Sanctions,” by Stephen J. Fallon and George A. Lopez, Just Security, (27 February 2025). “As debates continue about sanctions relief for Syria and peace talks are being planned for the Russia-Ukraine War, Western leaders and foreign […]
Will Renewed ‘Maximum Pressure’ Sanctions Yield Maximum Results? Not Likely.
In recent years new factors such as the emergence of cryptocurrency and blockchain as well as other developments in the international political economy have made it even less likely for maximum pressure sanctions to succeed or have their desired effect. In this article published in Just Security George A. Lopez outlines the various new and […]
The Impact of Unilateral Sanctions in Latin America: Panel discussion hosted by American Society of International Law (ASIL)
(11 October 2024) In The Impact of Unilateral Sanctions in Latin America, a livestream discussion hosted by the American Society of International Law and Human Rights Interest Groups, AHSR team member George A. Lopez joins other panelists for a conversation about finding a new way forward from the use of unilateral coercive sanctions in Latin […]
A Model Humanitarian Checklist for Sanctions Units
The Model Humanitarian Checklist for Sanctions Units was created for governments and intergovernmental bodies to use as guidance prior to imposing sanctions and during periodic reviews after their imposition. Funded by the Government of Canada, it is designed to assist sanctions’ imposers to identify and, in turn, mitigate unintended humanitarian consequences. It aims to be […]
Kamala Harris’ North Korea Strategy: Can Bold Moves Break the Stalemate with Kim Jong-un?
Published on September 19, 2024 in The National Interest, George A. Lopez, professor and member of the United Nations Panel of Experts (1894) on North Korea for 2010-11 and 2022-23, outlines three major actions potential President Kamala Harris should take to compel Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s (DPRK) leader, Kim Jong-un, to engage in sustained […]
Toward a Global Sanctions Compact for Long-Overdue Reform
In this recently-published article in Just Security, AHSR team members George A. Lopez, Alistair Millar, and Erica Moret share their model sanctions checklist and code of conduct that the team developed as part of a sanctions reform effort to improve efficacy and minimize humanitarian harm. Click here to read the full article.
Working Bibliography: Scholarship, Think-Tank, United Nations, and NGO Reports on the Humanitarian and Human Rights Impacts of Economic Sanctions (2019-2024)
This bibliography is provided as a resource for scholars, policymakers, and journalists and it will be updated periodically. We encourage specialists and users to alert us to new thematically appropriate material that should appear in updates of this bibliography. The bibliography was authored by Beatrix Geaghan-Breiner until June 2022 and thereafter by Audrey Thill with […]
Wilton Park 2023 Conference Report: A New Code of Conduct: Taking Sanctions Reform Further to Advance Humanitarianism
Held in May 2023, a second Wilton Park conference was conducted in association with Fourth Freedom Forum’s project on Advancing Humanitarianism through Sanctions Refinement (AHSR) and Open Society Foundations (OSF), with support from the Government of Mexico and Government of the Netherlands, and it aimed to afford an opportunity for a diverse group of stakeholders […]
Coercion and Inequality: The distributional effects of sanctions in Iran
Published in Phenomenal World, authors Esfandyar Batmanghelidj and Zep Kalb take a look at the “distributional effects” of sanctions and whether they actually facilitate greater economic inequality and the concentration of wealth among the elite in Iran. They argue that to really understand sanctions, one must investigate how actors in a complex system relate to […]