A study on the effectiveness of sanctions in the pursuit of nonproliferation : analysing the cases of North Korea and Iran

Abstract

With the end of the cold war and the nuclear arms race, the disarmament of nuclear weapons rose to the forefront of the international community’s agenda. One of the ways this was done was through economic sanctions, hard power mechanisms which coerce states through the use financial restrictions. However throughout the years, disagreements have risen on whether sanctions are effective tools of foreign policy. For the above reasons this dissertation aims to examine the efficacy of economic sanctions in pursuit of nonproliferation, specifically in the cases of North Korea and Iran. The study is carried out through the theoretical lens of realism, specifically realpolitik and the security dilemma. Furthermore, both cases are evaluated by means of the same methodology, a framework of analysis, specifically formulated to identify effective sanctions through different conditions. The conclusion attempts to compare both cases in order to find out why sanctions are or are not effective in specific cases based on in depth analysis given in the previous chapters. This dissertation ends with a list of recommendations on ways actors could increase effectiveness and also for further research which can be developed.