The workshop brought together a group of regional and international experts, as well as government, industry and think tank representatives, and members of the Diplomatic Corps in Canberra. It examined the changing face of ‘economic statecraft’ amid ongoing US reorientation of foreign policy, challenges for economic security, and opportunities for cooperation within existing and newly forged alliances. The underlying aim was to develop fresh approaches to economic statecraft and discuss potential new best-practice principles on the use of sanctions.
We were especially pleased to welcome international experts Dr Clara Portela, Political Science, Law School of the University of Valencia, and Prof Thomas Biersteker, Gasteyger Professor Honoraire, Graduate Institute, Geneva, and Member of the Council on Foreign Relations, to Australia, sharing their insights and expertise.
The ANU Economic Statecraft Lecture, delivered by Prof Biersteker, examined the new politics of economic statecraft and its implications for Australia, the EU and their partners. It explored how sanctions can be used strategically, lawfully and in coordination with partners in a changing international order.
Both the workshop and the discussions resulting from the lecture highlighted that the topic of sanctions is much more nuanced than generally assumed, and that the question of their effectiveness cannot be answered with a simple yes or no. In this context, it is important for the senders of sanctions to have a clear communications strategy in place, in order to explain why specific actions were taken and what they were meant to achieve, which will then also assist in the measuring of their success. Unfortunately, communication is often complicated by the fact that the most effective part of sanctions tends to be the ‘threat stage’, which comes into play in the course of diplomatic negotiation processes that happen behind closed doors, and, therefore, cannot be publicised.
In his presentations, Prof Biersteker emphasised that sanctions are ‘overused and underutilised’, and that the focus is often on the negative aspects of sanctions, whereas the concept of sanctions relief could be a valuable asset in conflict negotiation and resolution processes.
We would like to thank all experts, government and industry representatives for their contributions to the project, which were essential for its success.
A second ANU-KAS (closed-door) workshop on Global Economic Statecraft in Asia Pacific will follow in September.
About this series
The Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, its educational institutions, centres and foreign offices, offer several thousand events on various subjects each year. We provide up to date and exclusive reports on selected conferences, events and symposia at www.kas.de. In addition to a summary of the contents, you can also find additional material such as pictures, speeches, videos or audio clips.