Explaining variation in the punishment of Russia by international organisations

Russia’s aggression against Ukraine has triggered a range of bilateral economic sanctions, but less is known about how various international organizations (IOs) punished Russia.

Yet such IO measures—ranging from condemnations to restrictions and suspension, and in some cases inaction—are central practices through which IOs draw boundaries of inclusion and exclusion in global governance. Building on a new typology of IO sanctions, this paper theorises the member-state and institutional conditions under which IOs adopt different types of sanctions.

We test these empirically with an original dataset covering over 90 IOs in which Russia held membership or observer status between 2014 and 2025. Methodologically, we use discrete-time event history models to estimate when IOs first adopt exclusionary measures.

The findings show how member preferences and institutional authority jointly structure both the onset and type of IO exclusion, illuminating the politics and legitimacy of boundary-drawing in contemporary global governance.

Meet our speaker

Inken von Borzyskowski is a Professor of International Relations at the University of Oxford and Associate Head of the Department of Politics and International Relations. Her research focuses on the domestic politics of international relations, particularly international organizations, election violence, democracy assistance, and states’ withdrawal from international organizations. She has published widely in leading academic journals and received several research awards. She holds a PhD in International Relations, Methodology, and Comparative Politics from the University of Wisconsin - Madison and previously held academic positions at UCL and Florida State University.

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