A measure adopted pursuant to Chapter VII of the United Nations (UN) Charter, Security Council sanctions are commonly understood to be a punitive and coercive tool used to address the world’s security threats such as armed conflict, terrorism and nuclear proliferation. This perception is reinforced by the confusion of UN sanctions with bilateral or regional sanctions (often used as a tool for retaliation among states), as well as the negative terminology surrounding all types of sanctions: they are ‘wielded’, ‘imposed on’ or even ‘slapped on’ their target.