Marking the 50th Anniversary of UN Sanctions, this work examines the development of their role as primarily a tool of warfare to a diplomatic tool to protect against and prevent conflicts. While sanctions have become one of the most used diplomacy tool, how their versatility rises to the challenge of conflicts, terrorism, and proliferation of weapons is rooted in centuries of trial and error. The author examines the history of UN Sanctions and also explores their potential effectiveness for meeting the challenges of the future including: cyberterrorism, long term environmental crimes, and corruption. This work begins with an historical overview of the background of sanctions and the development of the United Nations system. It then explores the transition of in the post-Cold War period, from comprehensive to smart and fairer sanctions as targeted tools of diplomacy, particularly in an era of new threats from armed non-state actors. Finally, the author explores how sanctions will meet new challenges in the future, including environmental crimes, terrorism. This work will be of interest to researchers in Criminal Justice, particularly with an interest in security, as well as related fields such as international relations and political science.

Enrico Carisch is a partner in Compliance and Capacity Skills International, LLC. He served as a member of several United Nations groups of experts, was engaged by African and European States and organizations to assist in the strengthening of the management of conflict-sensitive natural resource revenues, and frequently collaborates with international companies, international organizations and academic institutions on improved sanctions compliance measures, services and technologies. Loraine Rickard-Martin is a partner in Compliance and Capacity Skills International, LLC. She was a sanctions committee secretary and a senior political affairs officer in the Security Council Affairs Division of the UN Department of Political Affairs from 1995 to 2009, a lecturer in United Nations sanctions at Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs from 2010 to 2013, and Secretary of the UN High Level Panel on Threats, Challenges and Change from 2003 to 2004. Shawna Meister is an independent researcher and analyst of international peace and security issues. She has written publications on various subjects including analyses of the effectiveness of sanctions, UN and regional peacekeeping missions, and the UN Peacebuilding Commission. Her research interests have recently broadened to the impact of uninhabited aerial vehicles (UAVs) on the UN system. As a Research Associate for a non-profit organization in Ottawa, Canada, she manages projects, conducts qualitative and quantitative analyses, and works with practitioners and the public to help them transform research into practical applications.