The impact of the transition of power in the international system on international economic sanctions

Abstract

The study dealt with the subject of international economic sanctions, as one of the most prominent tools of coercive diplomacy adopted by major powers and international organizations, by examining their fundamental transformations as a result of the process of power transfer at the level of the structure of the international system since World War II. The international system has shifted from a bipolar system to a system more inclined to unipolarity, which is reflected in the nature of economic sanctions and the parties targeted by them. The study concluded that the transformation of the structure of the international system due to the transfer of power between its main actors has a direct impact on the nature of the economic sanctions adopted at each stage, and this is reflected in the transition from comprehensive sanctions to smart sanctions, in addition to the shift in the actors affecting the design, imposition and exposure to economic sanctions. The international system, as well as the shift in its objectives, which have become in line with the perspective of the dominant power in the international system.