Economic Sanctions and Academia: Overlooked Impact and Long-Term Consequences

Abstract

There is an often-overlooked nexus between economic sanctions, academia, and sustainable development. The paper unpacks the implication of economic sanctions for the maintenance of robust academic systems capable of addressing national development goals. We show how sanctions place “invisible barriers” limiting access to necessary resources and curtailing their effective use. Furthermore, the impact of sanctions persists long after they are formally lifted. To develop our argument, we draw on a national survey of Sudanese academics focused on the impact of 20 years of economic sanctions on their work. It identifies key areas of academic research and education that have been impacted by international sanctions. It also discusses how the 2017 lifting of these sanctions is unlikely to overcome the long-term implications of the sanctions on academia. The paper concludes by problematising the current interpretation of jus post bellum, or moral behaviour after conflict. It suggests that the responsibility to make reparations in the form of support for academic systems applies to countries who impose economic sanctions.