Sanctions, export controls and investment restrictions were once treated as specialist tools of foreign policy and national security. Today, they are central instruments in the defence of the rules-based international order. Often described as forms of "economic statecraft", these measures allow states to project power, respond to crises and pursue political objectives without resorting to military force. But their use also raises difficult questions: how can these tools be deployed lawfully and with strategic coherence? How should like-minded states coordinate their approaches — and what does effective sanctions diplomacy look like when engaging third countries?

For decades, the United States has been the dominant practitioner of economic statecraft, with Australia, the EU and other like-minded democracies often relying on US leadership to defend shared interests and values. That era is over. Shifts in US foreign policy, growing geopolitical fragmentation and concerns about economic coercion have forced middle power democracies to reconsider how they use their own economic power, both individually and collectively.

This public lecture, delivered by Professor Thomas Biersteker will examine the new politics of economic statecraft and its implications for Australia, the EU and their partners. It will ask how sanctions can be used strategically, lawfully and in coordination with partners in a changing international order. The lecture will be followed by a panel discussion with leading experts from Australia, Canada, the UK, and the EU. 

Program: 

5.30pm: Welcome by Associate Professor Anton Moiseienko, ANU Law School.

5.35pm: Keynote address on the 'Future of International Sanctions' by Professor Thomas Biersteker, Graduate Institute Geneva. 

6.00pm: Panel discussion facilitated by A/Prof Moiseienko and featuring: 

• Tom Keatinge, Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), UK;
• Professor Christian Leuprecht, Queen's University Canada;
• Professor Clara Portela, University of Valencia, Spain;
• Claudine Lamond, Grant Thornthon, Australia.

7.00pm: Drinks reception.

This event is hosted by the ANU College of Law, Governance and Policy, with support from the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, Germany and the Australian Research Council Discovery Project scheme. 

Additional information

Registration is required for this event. 

Please direct any queries about the event to jake.fitzgerald@anu.edu.au. 

If you require accessibility accommodations or a visitor Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan please email marketing.CLGP@anu.edu.au. 

Accessible parking spaces are available around campus should you require them.