Sanctions and Economic Security: The Third-Country Dilemma
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15290/eejtr.2025.09.03.02Keywords:
sanctions, G7, Global South, South Africa, Armenia, economic securityAbstract
G7 states are increasingly using economic sanctions in the conduct of their foreign policies. Such sanctions have serious impacts on third countries, even though they are not directly targeted. The cases of Armenia and South Africa illustrate the challenges that third countries face as they seek to balance competing geopolitical and economic imperatives. Sanctions often penalise such countries if they fail to reduce ties with sanctioned countries and entities. However, a more effective approach would rebalance this relationship through greater engagement.
Downloads
References
Allison, O. (2024, November). Sanctions and illicit finance monitoring and analysis network: Pretoria Report [Conference report]. Royal United Services Institute. https://static.rusi.org/sifmanet-south-africa-conference-report-nov-2024.pdf.
Campbell, C. (2024, October 22). In the shadow of war, Armenia tries to make its economy indispensable. TIME. https://time.com/7095800/armenia-war-russia-azerbaijan-west-economy-tech-hub/.
Council of the European Union. (2011, December 1). Council Decision 2011/782/CFSP of 1 December 2011 concerning restrictive measures against Syria. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A32011D0782.
Department for International Trade. (n.d.). Office of Trade Sanctions Implementation (OTSI). Retrieved May 4, 2025, from https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/office-of-trade-sanctions-implementation.
European Commission. (2023). European economic security strategy (COM(2023) 320 final) https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A52023DC0320.
European Commission. (2025). EU sanctions against Russia following the invasion of Ukraine [Factsheet]. https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/api/files/attachment/881067/Factsheet_EU_Sanctions_against_Russia_EN.pdf.
European External Action Service. (2025). Sanctions defending human rights worldwide. https://www.eeas.europa.eu/eeas/sanctions-defend-human-rights_en.
European Parliament, & Council of the European Union. (2024). Directive (EU) 2024/1226 of 24 April 2024 on the definition of criminal offences and penalties for the violation of Union restrictive measures and amending Directive (EU) 2018/1673. Official Journal of the European Union, L 2024/1226. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/2024/1226/oj
European Union. (2018). Consolidated text: Council Regulation (EC) No 2271/96 of 22 November 1996 protecting against the effects of the extra-territorial application of legislation adopted by a third country, and actions based thereon or resulting therefrom. Official Journal of the European Union, L 309, 1–6. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/1996/2271/2018-08-07.
Fishman, E. (2025). Chokepoints: How the global economy became a weapon of war. Elliott & Thompson.
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office. (2024, February 22). Deter, disrupt and demonstrate – UK sanctions in a contested world: UK sanctions strategy. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/deter-disrupt-and-demonstrate-uk-sanctions-in-a-contested-world-uk-sanctions-strategy.
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office. (n.d.). Cross-government review of sanctions implementation and enforcement. Retrieved May 15, 2025, from https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/sanctions-implementation-and-enforcement-cross-government-review-may-2025/cross-government-review-of-sanctions-implementation-and-enforcement.
Government of Armenia. (2010). Government decree No. 924-N on the regulation of trade of dual-use goods.
Government of Armenia. (2011). Government decree No. 1785-N on the regulation of trade of dual-use goods.
Government of Armenia. (2023). Government decree No. 808-N on dual-use goods and related licensing procedures.
HM Treasury. (n.d.). Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI). Retrieved May 4, 2025, from https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/office-of-financial-sanctions-implementation.
Keatinge, T. (2023). Developing bad habits: What Russia might learn from Iran’s sanctions evasion. RUSI Occasional Paper.
Keatinge, T., & Redlowska, K. (2024, October). Russia sanctions and the Global South: Let's talk national interest. Royal United Services Institute. https://www.rusi.org/explore-our-research/publications/commentary/russia-sanctions-and-global-south-lets-talk-national-interest.
Mamulashvili, I., & Redlowska, K. (2025, May). SIFMANet: Sanctions and Illicit Finance Monitoring and Analysis Network. Yerevan Report. Royal United Services Institute.
Nielsen, J., Saiz, G. & Dunin-Wasowicz, J. (2025, March 8). Beyond the secondary sanctions debate: The rise of ancillary listings in EU sanctions. EU Law Live, 221.
Pambukhchyan, A. (2024, March 28). Armenia’s exports to Russia raise concerns over sanctions circumvention. Euractiv. https://www.euractiv.com/section/global-europe/news/armenias-exports-to-russia-raise-concerns-over-sanctions-circumvention/.
President of the United States. (2023, December). Executive Order 14114: The White House. https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2023/12/26/2023-28662/taking-additional-steps-with-respect-to-the-russian-federations-harmful-activities.
Royal United Services Institute. (n.d.). SIFMANet workshop reports. https://rusi.org/explore-our-research/projects/sifmanet
Sandbu, M. (2025, February 27). Can Europe go it alone on Russia sanctions? Washington’s coercive economic diplomacy is undergoing massive change. Financial Times.
Statistical Committee of the Republic of Armenia. (2021). Statistical yearbook of Armenia 2021. https://www.armstat.am/file/article/sv_12_21a_411.pdf.
United States Department of the Treasury. (2021). The Treasury 2021 sanctions review. https://home.treasury.gov/system/files/136/Treasury-2021-sanctions-review.pdf.
World Bank. (n.d.). South Africa trade [Data set]. Retrieved May 11, 2025, from https://wits.worldbank.org/countrysnapshot/en/ZAF.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
1. The Author declares that he or she has created the written work and holds exclusive and unlimited copyright /both moral and property rights/ and guarantees that no third parties have rights to the work.
2. In the view of the Copyright and Related Rights Act, a work must fulfill the following criterion:
a) be a manifestation of creative work,
b) have an individual character („author’s personal stamp”),
c) have a set form.
3. The Author declares that the text has not been previously published (under the same or different title, or as a part of another publication).
4. The Author allows (grants a non-exclusive license) the publishing house of University of Białystok to use the scholarly text to:
- preserve and multiply by means of any technique; save in a digital form with no limitations as to the manner and form of digital preservation;
- upload online with no limitations as to the place and time of access.
5. The Author grants consent for editorial changes made in the work.
6. The Author grants the University of Białystok rights free of charge for the duration of property copyright with no territory limits. The University has the right to grant sublicenses in the acquired rights.
7. Granting a non-exclusive license allows the Author to preserve their rights and allows other parties to make use of the work according to sublicensing agreement with provisions identical as those of Attribution 4.0 Internacional License (CC BY 4.0), available online at: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
8. The Agreement has been concluded for an indefinite period of time.
9. Because of costs born in preparation of the work for publishing, the Parties oblige themselves to act in good faith and refrain from declining to grant licenses.
10. To all matters not settled herein, provisions of the Civil Code and Copyright and Related Rights Act of 1994, February 4 shall apply.
11. All disputes shall be resolved by a court of local jurisdiction for the place of seat of University of Białystok.
