Conference: Sanctions and Embargoes: International Law and Contemporary Practice

On April 29, 2013, the Society of Legal Scholars International Law Section and the British Institute of International and Comparative Law will host a conference on "Sanctions and Embargoes: International Law and Contemporary Practice," in London. Here's the idea:

In recent years sanctions have become an increasingly popular tool of foreign policy, not only at the multilateral level, but also regionally and unilaterally. In response to Iran's nuclear programme, for example, sanctions have been imposed by the UN Security Council and also by the European Union and the USA. The nature of measures imposed has also changed: from comprehensive sanctions regimes (discredited since Iraq in the 1990s) to 'targeted' or 'smart' sanctions, directed at specific individuals or entities (through asset freezes and travel bans) or prohibiting particular activities (arms embargos, and export prohibitions).

Bringing together experts from both academia and practice, this conference will provide both an overview of these recent developments and an analysis of the problems that they have engendered. Panels will examine the contemporary practice of the various actors, and the legality (or otherwise) of their activities. Issues considered will include the human rights of persons targeted, and the mechanisms established to challenge listing; as well as, in cases of sanctions imposed by regional organizations and individual States, the rights of third States and their nationals.