Abstract

Research on comprehensive sanctions underlines that targeted leaders are able to create a rally- round-the-flag effect through the distribution of economic resources and strong ideological sentiment. Although the policy shift to targeted sanctions ought to fix this unintended effect, evidences show that targeted leaders are still able to successfully use the symbolism of sanctions to foster public support. Although the rally-round-the-flag effect of sanctions is often treated in the literature, little is known about the mechanism explaining such phenomenon. By using the sociological securitization theory and Benford and Snow’s frame analysis framework this thesis presents the securitization process as a non-positivistically defined causal mechanism explaining the relationship between the symbolism of sanctions and public support. This theoretical framework is applied to the case of European Union (EU) and United States of America’s (USA) targeted sanctions on the Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF). The analysis shows that the ZANU-PF was able to mobilise public opinion by using the symbolism of sanctions as a threat to the sovereignty and the economy of Zimbabwe. The acceptance of this security claim by key domestic audiences and its embeddedness within the context enabled such causal relation. Hence, sanction-imposing actors should give great attention to the complex social processes taking place within specific targeted states and adapt their approaches accordingly.

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