By April Kent

On April 15, Adam Szubin, the acting undersecretary of Treasury for terrorism and financial intelligence, warned against overusing sanctions in an address at the Center for a New American Security. He cautioned that “Even when sanctions do work, they can come with negative side effects,” such as retaliation from foreign governments, strain on diplomatic relations, and dampening commercial activity. Szubin’s concerns come as a reaction to the introduction of a bill in early April by Senators Mark Kirk and Marco Rubio that would keep Iran from gaining even indirect access to the U.S. financial system or using U.S. dollars in business transactions. The issue has become particularly important in this U.S. election year, as the remaining Republican presidential candidates have all vowed to tear up or back away from the nuclear deal, which Obama administration officials say would be calamitous.

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April 22, 2016

By April Kent

The U.N. Security Council recently unanimously approved a resolution condemning the killings, torture, and human rights abuses plaguing Burundi, threatening sanctions against perpetrators of the violence. The resolution called for Burundi’s government “to immediately convene an inclusive and genuine inter-Burundian dialogue.” At least 240 people have been killed in Burundi since protests began in April against President Pierre Nkurunziza's successful bid for a third term. Many in the international community have pointed to the language used by the government to describe its opponents as reminiscent of the rhetoric that paved the way for the genocide in Rwanda. Britain’s U.N. Ambassador Matthew Rycroft stated, “We know that in the worst case what we’re talking about is a possible genocide, and we know that we have to do everything that we possibly can to prevent that.” The country’s foreign Minister countered that “Burundi is not in flames,” dismissing international concerns that his country is at risk of a Rwanda-like genocide.

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November 17, 2015

By April Kent

The European Union is preparing for a four-month suspension of sanctions on Belarus, officials announced on Friday. This move comes in the wake of shifting perceptions of Belarus’ President Lukashenko, known as Europe’s “last dictator” and a close ally of Moscow, following his decision to release six jailed political prisoners in August and hosting of peace talks for Ukraine in February. A formal decision will be made by October 31, barring any last-minute crackdown. As Lukashenko seems poised for re-election, the EU has emphasized that “the conduct of the elections will be an important factor” in the decision to formally lift sanctions. The newly gained access to European capital markets would help Belarus attract EU investment, cutting its dependence on Russia. Lukashenko is highly invested in boosting Belarus’ economy, which is exposed to the recession in Russia and shrank by 4 percent in the period from January to July 2015.

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October 13, 2015

By Katie Bacharach

Last week Madagascar voters went to the polls in the first presidential election since the coup in 2009. The country was plunged into turmoil after Mr. Rajoelina ousted former President Ravalomanana. Since then, foreign aid has largely been cut and poverty has worsened.

BBC and Reuters have the details on how the election has gone. There were 33 presidential candidates in the election, which has been postponed three times this year. Mr. Rajoelina, former Presidents Ravalomanana and Ratsiraka, and Ravalomanana’s wife were all barred from running for president. Voting was largely peaceful, although a number of polling stations outside of the capital were attacked.

According to BBC, European and African observers announced that the election was “free, transparent and credible”. Preliminary results show that Richard Jean-Louis Robinson has about 30 percent of the votes and his main rival Hery Martial Rakotoarimanana Rajaonarimampianina has just over 15 percent.

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October 28, 2013