Zimbabwe: are targeted sanctions smart enough?

The document examines the 'smart sanctions' imposed by Western nations on Zimbabwe, concluding that their effectiveness has been limited by implementation loopholes and regional support for the Mugabe regime. It argues that while these measures were intended to pressure the elite, they have been used by ZANU-PF as a political scapegoat for economic decline. The author suggests a middle ground of conditional lifting to reward progress and deflate anti-imperialist rhetoric.

• Targeted sanctions in Zimbabwe, including arms embargoes, travel bans, and asset freezes, have had limited effectiveness due to inconsistencies in implementation and the ability of targeted individuals to circumvent them.
• The Mugabe regime has successfully used targeted sanctions as a political tool, framing them as illegal and using them as a scapegoat to explain the country's economic collapse while portraying himself as an anti-imperialist hero.
• The impact of Western restrictive measures was buffered by continued support from regional bodies like SADC and the AU, as well as bilateral military and financial support from China.
• While the UK, USA, EU, Canada, Switzerland, Australia, and New Zealand imposed various restrictive measures, none of these entities imposed a total restriction on overseas development assistance.
• The document argues that the 2009 power-sharing arrangement was likely driven by the pragmatic reality of a collapsing economy rather than the pressure of smart sanctions or 'quiet diplomacy'.
• The author recommends a conditional lifting of some restrictions as a sign of good faith to acknowledge economic improvements and to undermine ZANU-PF's narrative that sanctions are the primary cause of national suffering.

APA

Smith-Höhn, J. (2010). Zimbabwe: are targeted sanctions smart enough? Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/4Jun2010.pdf

Chicago

Smith-Höhn, Judy. Zimbabwe: are targeted sanctions smart enough? Institute for Security Studies, 2010. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/4Jun2010.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Smith-Höhn |first1=Judy |title=Zimbabwe: are targeted sanctions smart enough? |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=4 June 2010 |url=https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/4Jun2010.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{smithhhn2010zimbabwe, author = {Smith-Höhn, Judy}, title = {{Zimbabwe: are targeted sanctions smart enough?}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2010}, month = jun, url = {https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/4Jun2010.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }