The UN Security Council's incapacity of coping with conflict-related economic interests

War fuelled by conflict-related economic interests is an ancient phenomenon whose topicality remains unchanged, giving rise to the problem of how to cope with trade that feeds upon the existence of violent conflict. Especially in Africa, violent rivalry over huge economic profits in regions with extremely fragile government structures creates human suffering on a scale that the international community cannot ignore. This article concentrates on the role of sanctions imposed by the United Nations Security Council in this context. The reviewed material suggests that the attempts at establishing an international legal framework that could contain the negative effects of conflicted-related trade – the "dark side" of trade – is to date highly disappointing, not just from a humanitarian point of view. The article shows how the Security Council proves to be incapable of providing security and stability in peripheral areas of the world where the economic interests of its permanent members are at stake.