Legal Limitations of the UN Security Council in the Imposition of Economic Sanctions

Economic Sanction is one of the measures taken by the Security Council in order to maintain and restore international peace and security under chapter VII of the UN Charter. The basic issue regarding the Security Council's limitations in imposition of economic sanctions is that whether the council's powers are entirely unlimited and beyond rules of International Law or the Council is faced with some limitations in respect of observing international rules and provisions. Legal logic requires that the Security Council as an organ of an international organization which is a subject of international law is bound by international rules when making decisions and enforcing them, otherwise one can not expect that the collective security system will meet sovereign state's goals. Thus, the Security Council when imposing economic sanctions is obliged to respect principles of general international law, jus cogence, specific rules of the UN Charter and international human rights law and international humanitarian law.