麻豆社

How effective are sanctions in contemporary diplomacy? Professor David Rothkopf investigates.

The recent nuclear agreements in Iran and the democratic opening in Burma were both brought about, at least in part, by using sanctions. And although sanctions have been a diplomatic tool since the 5th century BC, when Athens imposed trade blockades on her neighbours, they were rarely used in the 20th century.

Before the fall of the Berlin wall, there were only two UN sanctions - one imposed against Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) in 1965, and another against South Africa in 1986. But after the end of the Cold War, the use of sanctions revived as a means of curbing human-rights violations, ousting belligerent leaders and limiting the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.

Professor Rothkopf hears from Lady Cathy Ashton and former diplomat Robert Cooper, leading negotiators in Iran and Burma respectively, to discover what makes sanctions successful.

A Kati Whitaker production first broadcast on 麻豆社 Radio 4 in 2017.