Unilateral Coercive Measures and International Law

Abstract

Since the first Gulf War the world has seen a marked increase in the deployment of unilateral restrictive measures - sanctions imposed by individual states or groups of states against other states or private entities. The deployment of these measures is usually justified as a
countermeasure against alleged human rights violations. While the international framework for the use of sanctions through the United Nations Security Council is clearly provided for in customary
international law, the trend in the application of unilateral restrictive measures is less clear
in terms of its legality. This legal review sheds some light on the legal basis surrounding these
measures, examining the historical record and surveying the treaties and international agreements which have a bearing on the legality of restrictive measures under international law.

Keywords: unilateral coercive measures, sanctions, countermeasures, retorsion, state responsibility