Do sanctions deter — or do they backfire? Join CISES for a free expert panel on economic statecraft.

Join CISES for a conversation on sanctions in the current geopolitical climate. We examine the core question of whether sanctions are effective instruments of deterrence — or whether they inadvertently accelerate the formation of alternative geopolitical blocs among sanctioned states.
This one-hour online panel will bring together experts in sanctions law, international political economy, and financial enforcement. The discussion will go beyond the question of whether sanctions work, to explore:

• How sanctions have become the predominant non-military tool of statecraft
• How their role has shifted in recent history
• How widespread sanctions shape global geopolitical tensions

The event will include a 30–35 minute expert discussion, followed by 15–20 minutes of audience Q&A.

Whether you are a student, researcher, or policy practitioner, this is an opportunity to engage directly with specialists at the forefront of these questions.

Panelists

Olga Dimitrescu

Olga Dimitrescu is Head of Industry Engagement at the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation’s (OFSI) at HM Treasury.

In her previous HMT roles, Olga has worked on wider Russia sanctions, UK-EU relations, and capital markets / financial stability.

Yizhou Miao

Yizhou Miao is a PhD candidate in International Political Economy Research in the Department of European and International Studies, having joined in September 2025. He holds an MSc in International Political Economy from the London School of Economics and Political Science and a First-Class BA (Hons) in International Relations from King’s College London, where he was elected an Associate of King’s College (AKC) in 2024.

His research focuses on semiconductors and geopolitical competition, examining the role of core technologies in the long cycles of the international economy, American hegemony and global leadership, and China’s techno-economic rise. His PhD research compares the US–Japan semiconductor conflict of the 1980s with the ongoing US–China “Chip War” since 2018 to assess whether American global leadership can withstand China’s challenge and what these cases reveal about the evolution of US power and future US–China relations.

Yifan Jia

Yifan Jia is a PhD candidate at the Dickson Poon School of Law at King’s College London, where she teaches across the Law School, the Department of Political Economy, and the Department of War Studies. She previously worked as a research assistant at the Transnational Law Institute and SOAS, and holds visiting positions at institutions including Georgetown University, the Geneva Graduate Institute, and the Max Planck Institute Luxembourg.

Prior to joining King’s, she worked as a criminal defence attorney in Beijing. Her PhD research is a socio-legal study of Global Human Rights Sanctions Regimes, combining doctrinal and empirical analysis to examine the legitimacy and effectiveness of Magnitsky sanctions across major jurisdictions. Her research has received several awards, including the Modern Law Review Scholarship, the Horowitz Foundation Award for Social Policy, the Harold D. Lasswell Award for International Relations and Foreign Affairs, the Gilbert Murray UN Study Award, and the Max Planck Luxembourg Scholarship.