ABSTRACT
Chapter 4 outlines the study’s methodological position and the choice of method. The inquiry furthermore extends social constructivism to its methodological stance. The investigation broadly takes an analyticist position, as suggested by Patrick Thaddeus Jackson: The utility of analytical models stems from the leverage gained from the distinctions and configurations proposed by the model in understanding empirical phenomena. The study adds to that view: Case studies serve to demonstrate the utility of the analytical model. In terms of methods, the study first conceptualizes the meaning of sanctions conflicts to develop within a discursive field and applies framing analysis to garner substantive meaning within political discourse. Second, the study applies process tracing to reveal the temporal unfolding of sanctions conflicts in order to draw causal conclusions on the meaning of conflict and the influence of particular sanctions strategies.
