The Cambridge Handbook of Secondary Sanctions and International Law

Focuses on the legality of secondary sanctions where powerful States seek to restrict trade between third states and sanctioned states.

This book addresses the international legal issues surrounding the adoption of secondary sanctions. These controversial measures aim to regulate economic or financial transactions between third states and a target state. The volume takes on board recent evolutions in case-law and practice, such as the drafting of the EU Anti-Coercion Instrument.We live in an age of sanctions. For geopolitical reasons, powerful states and economic blocks increasingly impose unilateral measures restricting economic transactions with certain target states. These sanctions may apply to transactions between the sanctioning state and a target country but may at times also extend to transactions between third states and the target state. By imposing such 'secondary' sanctions, states aim to further isolate the target state. The extraterritorial character of secondary sanctions makes them controversial, as they impinge on third states' economic sovereignty and the latter's operators' freedom to conduct international business. This book addresses the legality of secondary sanctions from multiple legal perspectives, such as general international law, international economic law, and private law. It examines how third states and operators can legally react against secondary sanctions, e.g. via blocking legislation or litigation. It also provides economic and political perspectives on secondary sanctions.