The Glasgow Centre for International Law and Security (GCILS) at the University of Glasgow is hosting a roundtable on the topic of unilateral sanctions in international law. The roundtable brings together invited academics working on sanctions and related issues, as well as practitioners responsible for the design and implementation of unilateral sanctions.
Theme
Russia’s ongoing aggression against Ukraine prompted the adoption of some of the most far-reaching packages of unilateral sanctions ever seen. These measures include the freezing of assets of Russia and some of its nationals, travel bans and measures to isolate Russia diplomatically and financially. The result of such measures is the freezing of hundreds of billions of Euros of Russian assets around the globe, as well as an innovative new approach to using the proceeds on Russian money invested in Europe to fund Ukraine’s efforts to defend itself.
These measures, however, have not been without controversy. Certain states in these past years have been pushing the bounds of lawfulness through attempts to, for instance, not just freeze but also permanently seize Russian assets in order to provide compensation for Ukraine. Further, the fact that such measures have been imposed by a select group of states (primarily the G7 and their allies) while the rest of the international community has stayed silent on the matters of sanctions also merits comment. Relatedly, the fact that such widespread sanctions have been imposed by these states in relation to Russia’s actions against Ukraine and not in the same way in relation to other significant violations of international law perpetrated by other states in recent years has also reignited criticisms of hypocrisy and double standards.
The end of the Biden Administration and the impending second Trump presidency may bring with it a shift in approach to unilateral sanctions imposed by the United States. As such, it may be an opportune moment to take a step back to consider the impact that the last few years of practice have had on international law and the international rule of law more generally.
Programme:
– Introduction
James Devaney (Glasgow) (5 mins)
– Sanctions, state assets, and immunity from enforcement,
Daniel Franchini (Sheffield) (12-15 mins)
– Justifying trade sanctions, exceptions and defences under WTO law,
Anna Ventouratou, (Sheffield) (12-15 mins)
– Sanctions in practice – current issues and reflections,
Ahila Sornarajah (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (12-15 mins)
– Commentator: Roger O’Keefe (Bocconi)
– Q&A
