Russian President Vladimir Putin (RIA Novosti/Alexei Druzhinin)
4 Lessons Putin Will Take From U.S. Sanctions -- Simon Shuster, Time
In retaliation over Russia's annexation of Crimea, the U.S. Treasury Department published a blacklist of 16 government officials and four members of what it called Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “inner circle” -- and the implicit threats of what's to come were even more pointed than the asset freezes it imposed.
On Monday, the Obama Administration moved to punish Russia for annexing the region of Crimea with a round of financial sanctions. The reply from Moscow’s political elites was either a laugh or a shrug. None of the individuals targeted that time were particularly close to President Vladimir Putin, nor were they senior enough to threaten his entire hierarchy. But the laughter turned to consternation on Thursday after the latest round of U.S. sanctions.
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My Comment: The U.S. is hoping that by sanctioning Putin's closest allies .... they in turn will go against him. That is not going to happen. Growing up in a Russian culture I know that after family .... loyalty is everything .... it is even more important than money. And while many Russians may not like Putin (myself included) .... they hate outsiders and foreigners who tell them what to do even more.
The danger right now is that these sanctions will not only impact the Russian economy .... but the global economy. Russia is now an integral part of this community with literally trillions of dollars floating around .... shocking this system will only inevitably harm all of us .... especially in Europe. Has the White House made the right calculation .... are they prepared to live with the consequences .... have they made the case to all of us on what to expect if everything goes wrong .... I sincerely have my doubts.
9 comments:
This might work in East/South Ukraine?
KIEV, Ukraine — A pair of Russian generals have been visiting Ukrainian military bases in Crimea and offering soldiers there fat pay and pension packages if they join the Russian army before a Friday deadline, when Russia has said its patience with a Ukrainian presence in the Black Sea peninsula will run out.
is Putin really worrying about sanctions. not sure for what he is waiting either for WAR on him by others or Acquiring countries by VOTE power
Like I said the West is more fragile than the East. I agree with you, this has not been thought out well at all.
Russian bribes are having an impact .... especially for those whose homes are in Crimea and who have no interest to move to Ukraine.
These are not sanctions against Russia, but against Russians.
I agree Don that these are sanctions targeting certain Russians. But in the minds of almost every Russian .... this will be perceived as an action against Russia. Even my hardcore Russian mom sees these sanctions as an attack against her (and she lives with us in Canada !!!!!)
But the sanctions don't limit Russia as a country, as they do Iran for example.
I agree Don .... with the exception of sanctioning one Russian bank .... today's announced sanctions are not the same as Iran's. But the U.S. message is clear .... it could be if the situation gets worse .... something that I do hope that the wise men in Moscow are pondering on.
Sanctions against Russia would also be against those companies who do business in Russia, as is the case in Iran where the sanctions hurt European business.
The US and its NATO puppets with all their expensive toys have no military options so they push sanctions which don't work.
Iran has increased its nuclear program ten-fold under sanctions. The sanctions have a financial impact upon Iran and its trading partners, but they don't have any political impact which is desired.
Now Obama with his new executive order has to put up, and hurt some major corporations for no reason (except his own political fortunes), or shut up.
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