Sanctions as a Selective Tool of Foreign Policy
CASE A: The Sudan Sanctions Narrative The UK Foreign Office explicitly states its intent to 'dismantle the war machine' through sanctions on individuals from both the RSF and SAF, citing atrocities including sexual violence and extrajudicial killings. Foreign Secretary David Cameron stated, 'It is this cycle of violence that the UK is determined to end.' (The Independent, 2026). The sanctions
target individuals deemed responsible for perpetrating violence, with the stated aim of promoting peace and accountability in Sudan. CASE B: The Selective Application Principle Contrast this with the UK's historical and ongoing relationships with other states and non-state actors implicated in grave human rights abuses. For instance, despite extensive documentation by organizations like Amnesty
International (1975-present) and Human Rights Watch (1978-present) regarding human rights violations by various state actors, including those in the Gulf region, no equivalent 'dismantling of the war machine' sanctions are consistently applied to leaders of these nations by the UK. For example, during the 2014 Gaza conflict, Human Rights Watch documented 'numerous apparently unlawful Israeli
airstrikes that killed civilians,' yet no UK sanctions targeting specific Israeli military or political leaders followed (HRW, 2014). Similarly, the widespread use of cluster munitions by the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen, confirmed by UNICEF (2016) and UN panels, did not trigger sanctions against Saudi military or political leadership from the UK, which concurrently approved significant arms sales