CGSS Exam: Questions With Detailed Solutions What is the purpose of Sanctions Correct Ans - Sanctions are measures or actions taken against a target to influence its behavior, policies, and/or actions. Sanctions can restrict trade, financial transactions, diplomatic relations, and movement. Also referred to as restrictive measures, sanctions can be specific or general in their implementation and enforcement.
What is sanctions compliance Correct Ans - Sanctions compliance is the act of adhering to the sanctions related legislations, regulations, rules, and norms that make up the complex sanctions landscape.
Define embargo Correct Ans - An embargo is an official government action to ban trade or commercial activity with a specific country, sometimes involving specific trade product. (e.g., a grain embargo or an oil embargo)
How do blockades differ from sanctions Correct Ans - Blockades involve the deployment of military resources by land, air, or sea by a country or coalition to prevent the movement of goods or people into or out of a targeted country. Sanctions, on the other hand, involve legal actions that are punitive or restrictive.
What is the intended impact of economic sanctions on targets Correct Ans - Economic sanctions, which include trade sanctions and financial sanctions, are intended to impact targets by limiting the target country's exports, restricting its imports, or impeding finance (including reducing aid). Economic
sanctions apply to property, a term that is very broadly defined to include much more than money and trade goods. In the US, the term "property" and "property interest" include checks, merchandise, trademarks, annuities, and a broad array of other interests, as defined in US law. This broad definition includes virtually all financial or commerce activity. Although there are sanctions, such as travel bans, that do not involve property, economic sanctions have by far the most implications for sanctions compliance programs.
How do thematic sanctions differ from economic sanctions Correct Ans - Sanctions can target activities or geography. Thematic sanctions focus on particular issues or concerns that may cut across geographic boundaries, such
as counter-narcotics sanctions. In contrast, geographic sanctions target specific counties or regions, such as North Korea or Crimea. Examples of thematic sanctions include the strengthening of human or labor rights, freeing
of captured citizens, and reversal of land captures. Although the EU has historically imposed geographic sanctions, in recent years, it has also adopted thematic sanctions, including those promoting human rights.
UNSC Criteria Correct Ans - • Threats to peace, security, stability
• Violations of human rights and international humanitarian law
• Obstructing humanitarian aid • Recruiting or using children in armed conflicts
What is a sanctions regime Correct Ans - A sanctions regime is a set of sanctions that have a common nexus or theme. Sanctions regimes are either referred to by the issuer of the set of sanctions or by the intended purpose of the set of sanctions. For example, the "OFAC sanctions regime" or the "North Korea sanctions regime." Depending on the context, a sanctions regime may be limited to unilateral sanctions or may include multilateral sanctions.
What is the role of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)? Correct Ans - The UN's Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) established the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to monitor compliance with the terms of the treaty. The IAEA periodically inspects the facilities and operations of member nations that have concluded nuclear safeguards agreements with the Agency. It seeks to build confidence and trust among member nations, which helps to prevent the development of fissile material for military use.
What is the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT)? Correct Ans - The UN's Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, commonly known as the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), was signed in 1968 and went into effect in March 1970. The NPT solidified the commitment of signing countries to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons. Its goal was to minimize the risk of the use of nuclear weapons in conflict, which could result in significant destruction. Likewise, the NPT sought to keep the weapons out of the hands of
rogue nations and terrorists.
What is the goal of the kimberley process certification scheme? Correct Ans - The Kimberley Process Certification Scheme was established by the UN in 2003 to establish trade controls over conflict diamonds (i.e., uncut diamonds mined in an area of armed conflict and traded illicitly to finance the fighting). Within the process, governments are required to implement controls on the import and export of diamonds to certify and control the trade, as well as create a documentary trail as to the extraction and refinement processes.
What precipitated passage of the Magnitsky Act in the US? Correct Ans - In the US, the Magnitsky Act allows for unilateral, global sanctions to be imposed on human rights offenders and corrupt actors. Assets can be frozen and offenders can be barred from entering the US.
The act originated from the mistreatment of attorney and auditor Sergei Magnitsky by Russian officials while he was in a Moscow prison for investigating fraud related to Russian tax officials. The law allows the US to sanction foreign government officials involved in human rights abuses anywhere in the world, including those found involved with the assassination of the Washington Post reporter Jamal Khashoggi in 2018.
Define the concept of money laundering Correct Ans - Money laundering
is the process of concealing or disguising the existence, source, movement, destination, or illegal application of illicitly derived property or funds to make them appear legitimate. Money laundering typically involves a three-part system: placement of funds into a financial system; layering of transactions to disguise the source, ownership, and location of the funds; and integration of the funds into society in the form of holdings that appear legitimate. The definition of money laundering varies in each country where it is recognized as a crime.
What is the significance of the USA Patriot act to the field of anti-money laundering? Correct Ans - The Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001 (USA PATRIOT Act) was enacted on October 26, 2001. This historic US law brought about momentous changes in the anti-money laundering field, including more than 50 amendments to the Bank Secrecy Act.
Title III of the act, the International Money Laundering Abatement and Anti-
Terrorist Financing Act of 2001, contains most, but not all, of its anti-money laundering-related provisions. How do sanctions relate to terrorist activities? Correct Ans - Terrorist organizations require funding for training, recruiting, and paying stipends to terrorists and their surviving family members. Although terrorist groups may not be dissuaded by sanctions from pursuing their agendas, the use of economic sanctions can dissuade states from providing refuge and material support to terrorist groups.
In 1999, the UN Security Council established a sanctions regime that targeted individuals and entities affiliated with Al-Qaeda and the Taliban. These sanctions have been expanded to include individuals and entities affiliated with ISIS.
Following the attacks of September 11, 2001, the UN passed UNSCR 1373, which obliged all of its Member States to sanction terrorist activity. Subsequent resolutions have built on UNSCR 1373 for the purposes of countering terrorist financing.
How can sanctions serve to prevent the misappropriation of state resources? Correct Ans - One of the purposes of sanctions is to freeze and return resources that have been misappropriated by kleptocrats (i.e., corrupt leaders
who exploit the people and resources of a state for personal gain). As such, sanctions can aim to prevent corrupt officials from embezzling and from accessing financial services in order to illegally launder money taken while they were ruling their countries.
Are autonomous sanctions only implemented by single governments? If yes, give an example of a single government that has autonomous sanctions. If not, give an example of a different entity that has autonomous sanctions. Correct Ans - No. Autonomous sanctions can be employed by a single entity or government, such as Australia, or a coalition of governments, such as the EU, acting to enforce a sanctions regime. Most countries have their own version of autonomous, unilateral sanctions. However, the EU also has autonomous sanctions. These occur when its Council decides to impose sanctions on its own initiative. Although most countries in the EU do not rely on autonomous sanctions, choosing instead to rely on the EU framework, EU member countries, in turn, can have their own autonomous sanctions, such as when Latvia passed a version of the US's Magnitsky Act in 2018, imposing travel restrictions on 49 Russian citizens.