释义 |
sanction n. 1. A punishment for a crime. See also nulla poena sine lege. 2. A measure taken against a state to compel it to obey international law or to punish it for a breach of international law. It is often said that international law is deficient because it lacks the power to impose sanctions or even to compel states to accept the jurisdiction of courts (see International Court of Justice). There are, however, certain sanctions that can be applied. A state may, in certain cases, use force in self-defence, or as a sanction against an act of aggression, or as a reprisal (for example, by expropriating property belonging to citizens of a country that had previously carried out unlawful acts of expropriation). It may also act by way of retorsion. There are also certain powers of sanction available under the United Nations system, such as economic (and, at least in theory, military) sanctions, although the powers of the Security Council to impose sanctions are subject to veto. See also angary. |