Arms embargoes and individual sanctions established by the United Nations Security Council have been effective in stemming conflict and building peace in Côte d'Ivoire and Liberia, according to Daniel Strandow and Peter Wallensteen, researchers from Sweden's Uppsala University, who presented their findings at a panel discussion at UN Headquarters on 7 March 2007.

Liberia and Côte d'Ivoire have experienced civil conflict since 1992 and 2002, respectively. The Security Council imposed a range of sanctions to both countries, which included arms and resources like diamonds and timber, as well as on individuals who contributed to the conflict. A travel ban was imposed on 57 individuals in Liberia, including former President Charles Taylor, his associates and ex-wives, while only three were targeted in Côte d'Ivoire.

"The sanctions have a sobering, restraining effect on the way the people act", said Mr. Wallensteen. "They change their behaviour and tone down their rhetoric because they want the sanctions to be lifted." When sanctions are imposed on individuals, he explained, the goal is to achieve the "three R's: 'restrain' their behaviour, 'repent' so that they apologize for their actions and 'remove' from politics". While "restrain" had been achieved by the sanctions, little or no progress was made on the two R's, he said.

The sanctions in Liberia "leave out many of the 'big fish', including the warlords and prominent figures like Prince Johnson", said Mr. Wallensteen, referring to the Liberian politician under whose custody former President Samuel Doe was reportedly executed in 1990. Nonetheless, Mr. Wallensteen reiterated his belief that such sanctions had contributed to stability in the country, pointing out that they have the advantage of affecting one person rather than inflicting suffering on the entire population of a country.

Arms embargoes were also effective in preventing these two conflicts from escalating, said Mr. Strandow. He pointed out that efforts to keep heavy equipment, such as the two large attack helicopters bound for Liberia and detained by the Slovak and Moldovan customs and security experts in 2001, were particularly successful in keeping the situation on the ground from deteriorating.

The Security Council should consider sanctions on journalists or owners of media outlets that use the media to incite violence among ethnic groups, Mr. Wallensteen said, citing Radio Télévision Libre des Mille Collines, a radio station that reportedly aided in inciting the 1994 genocide in Rwanda. "We support the free press, but when the media is building hatred, we think that the international community should speak up about it. Words can kill just as arms can kill."