The Future of Sanctions after the US Elections

Countering Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the EU and US jointly implemented sanctions on an unprecedented scale, underscoring the growing reliance on sanctions to address international security threats, human rights violations, and electoral fraud. In this "age of sanctions", economic restrictions have been imposed more extensively than ever before in the 21st century. 

Washington and Brussels have targeted Russia in key areas: access to international financial markets, export restrictions on microchips and other high-tech components, oil and gas sales, and individual sanctions on political leaders. After the elections in the United States, there is considerable uncertainty about how the new administration might approach economic coercion and transatlantic cooperation in its national security strategy. Following the elections, this GIGA Talk will explore critical questions about the future of sanctions: What are the prospects for continued collaboration between the US, EU, and their partners? Will sanctions and export controls become even more prevalent as foreign policy tools, and how might their design evolve? What steps will the US and EU take to strengthen the international legitimacy of their measures? 

Speakers:  Adrian Seufert is the Deputy Head of the Sanctions Policy Task Force at the German Federal Foreign Office where he leads the team in charge of individual sanctions and EU coordination. Dr. Maria Shagina is the Diamond-Brown Senior Fellow for Economic Sanctions, Standards and Strategy at the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS).  

Prof. Dr. Christian von Soest is a Lead Research Fellow at the GIGA Institute for African Affairs, Head of the GIGA Research Programme "Peace and Security", and an Honorary Professor at the University of Göttingen. 

Prof. Dr. Jordan Tama is a Provost Associate Professor in the Department of Foreign Policy and Global Security at American University's School of International Service in Washington, DC. He is also a Non-Resident Senior Fellow at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs and Senior Director of the Bridging the Gap project. 

Moderator:  Dr. Julia Grauvogel is a Senior Research Fellow at the GIGA Institute for African Affairs and Spokesperson of the GIGA Research Team "Interventions and Security".