UCL Political Science Events

Do Economic Sanctions Work?

Episode Summary

Recorded in October 2025, this Policy and Practice panel explores the role of economic sanctions as a key tool of modern diplomacy, examining how governments use measures such as trade restrictions, asset freezes and financial controls against states including Russia, Iran and Afghanistan. The discussion considers the effectiveness of sanctions, how they are enforced and circumvented, and their wider political and economic consequences. Featuring experts from government, finance and international security, speakers include Chloe Cina, Maria Nizzero, Olga Dimitrescu, and chair Robert Hazell.

Episode Notes

One of the tools of modern diplomacy against states like Afghanistan, Iran or Russia is to impose economic sanctions. These can take the form of prohibiting trade, asset freezes, impounding ships and property; and they can be imposed on high profile figures like Roman Abramovich, or thousands of lesser known individuals, with 5,300 people currently on the UK Sanctions List. 

But how effective are sanctions; how easily are they circumvented; and what is their impact on the countries targeted? 

Meet the speakers 

• Chloe Cina is a Consultant at Robertson Pugh Associates LLP and a Senior Associate at the Royal United Services Institute’s Centre for Finance and Security and member of its UK Sanctions Implementation and Strategy Taskforce. Prior to her current roles, Cina was Deutsche Bank’s Head of Global Sanctions Advisory – leading a team of international lawyers amidst Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and subsequent sanctions and UK Head of Sanctions at HSBC. Before her private sector roles, Cina was an Assistant Legal Advisor at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office – leading the UK’s Iran nuclear legal team from 2014 to 2016.
• Maria Nizzero is the Head of Sanctions Policy at UK Finance, a trade association for the UK's banking and financial services industry. Before her current role, Nizzero was a Research Fellow at the Centre for Finance and Security at the Royal United Services Institute where she examined the UK, EU and global financial crime landscape, asset recovery and sanctions, and the foreign policy dimension of illicit finance. During her time at RUSI, she was a member of the Transatlantic Response to Illicit Finance (TARIF) Taskforce, the UK Sanctions Taskforce, and the UK Financial Action Task Force (FATF) Taskforce. 
• Olga Dimitrescu is Head of Industry Engagement in the Economic Crime and Sanctions Group at HM Treasury. She leads the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation’s (OFSI) strategic engagement with the private sector, including academia and research. Her team is also responsible for setting and implementing the sanctions engagement for the Russian oil price cap, a major G7+ sanction designed to apply pressure on Russian oil revenues. In her previous HMT roles, Olga has worked on wider Russia sanctions, UK-EU relations, and capital markets / financial stability. 
• Chair: Prof. Robert Hazell is Professor of Government and the Constitution in the UCL Department of Political Science and School of Public Policy. 

Recorded 23 October 2025