Limits of Unilateral Economic Sanctions in International Law

INTRODUCTION. This study examines the legal compatibility of unilateral economic sanctions with fundamental principles of international law. The research addresses growing concerns about the systematic violation of state sovereignty and non-intervention principles through economic coercion mechanisms employed by economically powerful states.

MATERIALS AND METHODS. The analysis encompasses decisions of the International Court of Justice, International Law Commission documents, UN resolutions, national legislation of sanctioning states, and contemporary international legal doctrine. The methodology includes formal legal analysis, comparative law approach, and systematic examination of state practice, with particular focus on US and EU sanctions against Russia, Iran, Cuba, and other states.

RESEARCH RESULTS. The research demonstrates that contemporary unilateral sanctions fundamentally differ from traditional inter-state coercion mechanisms (retorsions and countermeasures) and cannot be justified through existing lawful self-help institutions. Most unilateral sanctions fail to meet the criteria for lawful countermeasures: they are imposed by non-injured states, introduced without prior bilateral obligation violations, violate proportionality requirements, and often aim at regime change. Three primary mechanisms of international law violation are identified: creation of de facto state hierarchy contrary to sovereign equality principle, systematic interference in domestic jurisdiction through economic coercion, and exceeding limits of lawful sovereignty through treaty obligation breaches and violations of general law principles.

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS. The study reveals that unilateral sanctions transform international law from an equal rules system into a political hierarchy maintenance tool. Extraterritorial and secondary sanctions create dual sovereignty violations, coercing both target states and third countries. Violations of good faith, proportionality, and clean hands doctrine demonstrate sovereignty's transformation into a political dominance mechanism. International court decisions (Alleged Violations of the 1955 Treaty of Amity, Economic Relations, and Consular Rights case, Russia WTO case) confirm the unlawfulness of numerous sanctions measures. Unilateral economic sanctions represent a systematic challenge to contemporary international legal order, creating a "parallel" legal system where economically powerful states assume legislative, judicial, and enforcement functions. Development of international legal mechanisms for restricting arbitrary economic coercion and procedural guarantees for target states is urgently required.

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