Nonstate Armed Groups, Leadership, and Sanctions Effectiveness

The world's most intractable conflicts, with nonstate armed groups (NSAGs) as key actors, have emerged in Africa. The UN seeks to deal with such threats through the increasing use of sanctions. NSAGs often resist sanctions demands, protracting conflicts. What is the role of leadership in the outcome? The sanctions literature has given scant attention to how predominant leaders determine whether NSAGs yield to sanctions. The nexus between leadership and sanctions effectiveness deserves attention given the threat NSAGs pose to international security and the need for more effective sanctions in Africa. The Revolutionary United Front (RUF) in Sierra Leone, the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA) in Angola, and the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) in Uganda are employed to address the subject.