När ekonomin stryper En kvalitativ studie om Europeiska unionens sanktionsföring i förhållande till ideologiska värden och interdependens

Abstract

This thesis examines the European Union's sanctions policy regarding human rights and interdependence. Previous research has discussed whether sanctions are effective or result in desirable outcomes. This paper aims to take a step back and understand motives by analyzing consistency in the EU’s decisions to impose sanctions. The question is relevant because formal justification can be used to cloak actual motives, and by examining actual decisions, the analyses shed light on motives. Therefore, the aim is to understand why the European Union sanctions some states but not others, even in states with similar levels of human rights violations. The thesis aims to gain greater insight and understanding on the interplay of ideological and economic values. To understand the European Union's motives, the thesis carries out a motive analysis and compares four cases selected on theoretical grounds. The results show that higher levels of interdependence result in lower tendency to impose sanctions even between states with similar human right abuses. The European Union's close cooperation with the Gulf States deters the use of sanctions in these states. The union's policy on human rights violations does not fully explain actual decisions, and economic motives exist alongside normative and ideological factors.