Efficacy of Economic Sanctions: North Korea and Iran Case Study.

摘要

Since World War I, the popularity of using economic sanctions by western nations to influence the behavior of states not conforming to international norms has increased. The end of the Cold War renewed the zeal within the international community and unleashed a wave of new sanctions during the 1990s that earned it the title of 'Sanctions Decade.' Questions surrounding the success of recently applied sanctions in influencing Iraq, Haiti, Iran, and North Korea have fueled the debate among scholars and diplomats regarding the effectiveness of economic sanctions. This paper will summarize some of the key theories of economic sanctions along with criteria for their successful implementation based on lessons learned. How sanctions have been applied towards Iran and North Korea will be described along with an evaluation of their effectiveness to date. Theory, practice, and historical context will be used to evaluate the continued use of economic sanctions to persuade North Korea and Iran to abandon their nuclear ambitions.