Discussion: "Advancing the Debate about the Humanitarian Impact of Economic Sanctions"

Since the end of the Cold War, multilateral and unilateral sanctions have become an essential instrument of global and national foreign policy. They are imposed to address international challenges to peace and security, including ending civilian wars and territorial aggression, and to thwart nuclear proliferation, mass atrocities, and terrorism.

Yet over the past decade, sanctions have become deeply entangled in major humanitarian disasters. In Syria, Yemen, South Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, sanctions have failed to prevent massive violence. In many cases, they have created economic hardship and harmed innocent civilians. These trends have become even more pronounced during the global COVID-19 pandemic.

What can we learn from situations where sanctions were imposed and consequences for citizens were harsh? How can policymakers increase the effectiveness of sanctions while creating stronger safeguards to prevent negative humanitarian impacts?

To address these concerns, The Sanctions and Security Research Project of the Fourth Freedom Forum and the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies, part of the University of Notre Dame’s Keough School of Global Affairs, have commissioned studies of the humanitarian impact of sanctions on Iran and Venezuela. They have also joined with The Carter Center’s project that documents the humanitarian impact of sanctions in Syria.

Please join us for a timely discussion that will feature conversation around these new studies and their recommendations.

Speakers:

Maura Policelli, Executive Director, Keough School Washington Office

Esfandyar Batmanhelidj, Founder and CEO, Bourse & Bazaar Foundation

Stacia George, Director, Conflict Resolution Program, The Carter Center

George A. Lopez, Rev. Theodore M. Hesburgh, C.S.C., Professor Emeritus of Peace Studies

U.S. Representative Jim McGovern (D-Massachusetts)

Trita Parsi, Executive Vice President, Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft

Francisco Rodríguez, 2021-22 International Affiars Fellow in International Economics, Council on Foreign Relations; Director, Oil for Venezuela

Rana Shabb, Associate Director for the Middle East, Conflict Resolution Program, The Carter Center

Alistair Millar, President, Fourth Freedom Forum

This event is presented by the University of Notre Dame’s Keough School of Global Affairs and its Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies, and by The Sanctions and Security Research Project of the Fourth Freedom Forum.

RSVP required.