A central theme of the Kroc Institute's research is the role of international institutions and international politics in increasing compliance with fundamental norms of peace and human rights. In its work in this area, Institute faculty examine methods for enhancing compliance and the humanitarian impact of such methods.

The Institute's longstanding interest in this research area has generated several research projects. George Lopez and David Cortright co-direct the Sanctions Project, which explores the effectiveness of sanctions, their humanitarian impact on the civilian population, their ethical dimension, and the manner in which sanctions might be sharpened and improved, especially through the use of 'smart' sanctions. Robert Johansen leads a project titled Strengthening UN Peacekeeping and Enforcement, which seeks to identify ways of increasing the effectiveness of multilateral peacekeeping and enforcement operations. Faculty fellows study the potential of the newly established International Criminal Court (ICC) for increasing compliance with international norms. Institute faculty also study the means for limiting the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, which has particularly been a focus of the Institute's exchange with South Asia.

Faculty fellows currently working on these issues include:

• Paolo Carozza (human rights)
• David Cortright (nuclear nonproliferation and disarmament, sanctions, South Asian security)
• Alan Dowty (nonproliferation, international relations in the Middle East)
• Robert Johansen (international peacekeeping, the role of NGOs in the establishment of the ICC)
• Daniel Lindley (international peacekeeping, collective security)
• George Lopez (sanctions, state repression and violence, nuclear nonproliferation and disarmament)
• Juan Mendez (human rights)
• Dinah Shelton (ICC, remedies for human rights violations)
• Raimo Vayrynen (global governance, international security and disarmament, European security policy)

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