The UN has unanimously approved a fresh round of economic sanctions against North Korea, including a cap on the rogue state’s crude oil imports and a ban on textile exports. There are doubts about how effective another round of sanctions will be, however, given that North Korea has successfully circumvented previous UN restrictions. Many also argue that the widespread economic sanctions, boycotts and private divestment imposed on South Africa during the 1980s contributed to the demise of the Apartheid regime. Lee Jones, a senior lecturer at Queen Mary University of London and author of Societies Under Siege: Exploring How International Economic Sanctions (Do Not) Work, argues that South Africa’s economy actually expanded under international sanctions. In most cases, sanctions have failed to achieve their foreign policy objectives, and even when they have appeared to work, it is unclear if they were the deciding factor.

Source: The North Africa Journal September 12, 2017 14:37 UTC