An arms embargo is a restriction or a set of sanctions that applies either solely to weaponry or also to "dual-use technology." An arms embargo may serve one or more purposes:
United Nations Security Council resolution 1186, adopted unanimously on 21 July 1998, after recalling resolutions 1105 (1997) and 1110 (1997), the Council extended and strengthened the mandate of the United Nations Preventive Deployment Force (UNPREDEP) in Macedonia until 28 February 1999.
The resolution noted that the UNPREDEP mission played an important role in maintaining peace and stability in Macedonia, and recalled resolutions concerning the situation in Albania, including 1101 (1997) and 1114 (1997). It also recalled Resolution 1160 (1998) which imposed an arms embargo on the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Serbia and Montenegro) including Kosovo. The UNPREDEP peacekeeping mission also monitored the border to prevent the spread of conflict and illegal arms flows.
Economic sanctions or embargoes are commercial and financial penalties applied by states or institutions against states, groups, or individuals. Economic sanctions are a form of coercion that attempts to get an actor to change its behavior through disruption in economic exchange. Sanctions can be intended to compel (an attempt to change an actor's behavior) or deter (an attempt to stop an actor from certain actions).
Sanctions can target an entire country or they can be more narrowly targeted at individuals or groups; this latter form of sanctions are sometimes called "smart sanctions". Prominent forms of economic sanctions include trade barriers, asset freezes, travel bans, arms embargoes, and restrictions on financial transactions.
The United States embargo against Cuba is an embargo preventing U.S. businesses and citizens from conducting trade or commerce with Cuban interests since 1960. Modern diplomatic relations are cold, stemming from historic conflict and divergent political ideologies. U.S. economic sanctions against Cuba are comprehensive and impact all sectors of the Cuban economy. It is the most enduring trade embargo in modern history. The U.S. government influences extraterritorial trade with Cuba. The embargo has faced international criticism for its adverse impact on Cubans, including by the United Nations who have formally condemned it intermittently since 1992.
The U.S. government first launched an arms embargo against Cuba in 1958, with their energy and agricultural sectors targeted in 1960. The Cuban Revolution led to nationalization and a trade war with the U.S. that prompted seizure of American economic assets, including oil refineries. The U.S. retaliated with a total embargo on Cuban trade, with exceptions for food and medicine. Cuba held nuclear missiles for the Soviet Union during the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, which resulted in the U.S. fully blockading the island. The embargo was loosened during the Cuban thaw from 2015 to 2017, tightening sharply thereafter over human rights in Cuba.
United Nations Security Council resolution 743, adopted unanimously on 21 February 1992, after reaffirming resolutions 713 (1991), 721 (1991), 724 (1991), 727 (1992) and 740 (1992), and considering that the situation in the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia constituted a threat to international peace and stability, the council established a peacekeeping mission in the country, known as the United Nations Protection Force (UNPROFOR), with the aim of reaching a peaceful political settlement in the region.
The council also decided to deploy the Force for an initial period of twelve months, further deciding that the arms embargo on Yugoslavia should not apply to weapons and military equipment intended for UNPROFOR. It requested the Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali to take measures to deploy the Force as soon as possible, subject to approval by the council, including a budget which will be partly offset by the Yugoslav parties but noting that UNPROFOR is an interim arrangement. Financing was discussed at the General Assembly on 19 March 1992. The resolution also required him to submit reports as appropriate and not less than every six months, with the first report due within two months on the progress in the region.
United Nations Security Council resolution 1160, adopted on 31 March 1998, after noting the situation in Kosovo, the council, acting under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter, imposed an arms embargo and economic sanctions on the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, hoping to end the use of excessive force by the government.
Some countries had suggested a comprehensive arms embargo to be imposed against Serbia and Montenegro, including Kosovo. The Security Council condemned the violence that the Serbian police used against peaceful demonstrators, and the terrorist acts of the Kosovo Liberation Army.
Operation Unified Protector was a NATO operation in 2011 enforcing United Nations Security Council resolutions 1970 and 1973 concerning the Libyan Civil War and adopted on 26 February and 17 March 2011, respectively. These resolutions imposed sanctions on key members of the Gaddafi government and authorized NATO to implement an arms embargo, a no-fly zone and to use all means necessary, short of foreign occupation, to protect Libyan civilians and civilian populated areas.
The operation started on 23 March 2011 and gradually expanded during the following weeks, by integrating more and more elements of the multinational military intervention, which had started on 19 March in response to the same UN resolutions. As of 31 March 2011 it encompassed all international operations in Libya. NATO support was vital to the rebel victory over the forces loyal to Gaddafi. The operation officially ended on 31 October 2011, after the rebel leaders, formalized in the National Transitional Council, had declared Libya liberated on 23 October.