Title: Sanctions and Statecraft

Location: US

Company: King's College London

About this course:
Sanctions are among the most frequently used tools in diplomacy and foreign policy. For many states, they represent a key strategy of statecraft — shaping international behaviour without the use of force.
In this self-paced course from King’s College London, you will explore how sanctions function in the international system. Led by Professor Matthew Moran, a specialist in international security, the course blends theory with real-world case studies, examining:

The purpose and varieties of sanctions used to exert coercive influence

How sanctions operate within broader strategies of deterrence and compellence

The shift from comprehensive to targeted sanctions and its significance

The role of multilateral and unilateral actors in sanctions regimes

How states and non-state actors resist, evade, or adapt to sanctions

Through applied learning and critical analysis, you’ll gain a clear understanding of how sanctions are designed, implemented, and contested in today’s global security environment.
This is a short course that can be completed in 5 hours — designed to be flexible and fit into your schedule.

Define the concept and types of sanctions in international relations

Explain the purpose of sanctions and trace their historical development

Evaluate how sanctions function as tools of coercion within statecraft

Analyse how major actors design and implement sanctions regimes

Differentiate between multilateral and unilateral sanctions strategies

Investigate how sanctions are challenged, resisted, and evaded by target actors

Engage critically with debates around the effectiveness and ethics of sanctions

Explore how sanctions operate as tools of coercive diplomacy in global politics — from their historical evolution to the strategies states use to design, deploy, and resist them.

Duration: 3 weeks

Skills:
- Critical Thinking
- Deterrence
- Diplomacy
- Foreign Policies
- Global Politics
- Influencing Skills
- Use Of Force

Curriculum:
- Define the concept and types of sanctions in international relations
- Explain the purpose of sanctions and trace their historical development
- Evaluate how sanctions function as tools of coercion within statecraft
- Analyse how major actors design and implement sanctions regimes
- Differentiate between multilateral and unilateral sanctions strategies
- Investigate how sanctions are challenged, resisted, and evaded by target actors

- Engage critically with debates around the effectiveness and ethics of sanctions