Saturday, February 9, 2013

Symposium: The Evolution of Economic Sanctions: Increasingly Financial, Multilateral, and Robust

On February 13, 2013, the Georgetown Journal of International Law will host a symposium on "The Evolution of Economic Sanctions: Increasingly Financial, Multilateral, and Robust." The program is here. Here's the idea:

In recent years, economic sanctions have evolved significantly to keep pace with new technologies and strengthened global economic links. Formerly, the use of sanctions was often focused on trade in goods; however, as new methods of evading trade sanctions have developed and as capital has become more mobile, governments have increasingly targeted international financial transactions and flows, perhaps best exemplified by recent U.S. sanctions against Iran. In addition, enhanced coordination among the United States, European Union, and United Nations has produced a thorough multilateral network of sanctions, notwithstanding occasional blind spots. Partially as a result of these developments, economic sanctions are a more robust tool for policymakers today than in the past.

The Symposium will feature a keynote speech by Assistant Secretary for Terrorist Financing Daniel Glaser from the U.S. Department of the Treasury. There will also be four panels on: the legal basis and technical operation of financial sanctions; the significant legal and economic impacts of these sanctions on targeted activities; coordination as well as incongruity among U.S., EU, and UN sanctions programs; and a survey of other legal, political, and humanitarian issues raised by sanctions, especially in light of recent programs targeting Iran, Syria, North Korea, and other countries.