Angela Stent, National Interest: The U.S. Sanctions Bill Is a Win for Russia
The U.S. sanctions bill, designed to hurt Russia, may have unintended consequences for the United States.
The surprise about the Russian Foreign Ministry’s announcement of Russian sanctions on U.S. diplomats and embassy properties is that they did not come sooner. The usual practice during the Cold War and after was that any diplomatic expulsion on either side was met with a symmetrical response. Indeed, in December, after the Obama administration expelled thirty-five Russian diplomats and closed down two embassy compounds to punish Russia for its interference in the 2016 election, Foreign Minister Lavrov appeared the next day on television brandishing a list of thirty-five American diplomats whom he advised President Putin to expel. But Putin surprised the world by announcing, “While we reserve the right to take reciprocal measures, we’re not going to downgrade ourselves to the level of irresponsible ‘kitchen’ diplomacy.” Clearly the Kremlin believed that once President Trump took office the sanctions would be rescinded and relations would improve, so why not be magnanimous?
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WNU Editor: Today's media narrative from Russia is this .... Russia and US must ‘start anew or everything will be in tatters’ – Russian Deputy FM (RT). On Russian social media (at least the sites that I like) .... this is now a non-story .... it looks like everyone in Russia is moving on. As for the Europeans .... they are raising objections .... What Europe Thinks Of Sanctions On Russia (NPR).
Well, a lot of people in the world believe that the US President has a lot of power. They are wrong. That's the USA which is strong, not the President.
ReplyDeleteWe have lost a huge opportunity to write the 21th century with Russia. Politician in congress are still thinking with the 20th century mind. The position of Russia would be hugely different toward us if we had a great commitment with each other. But stuck minded cannot understand that.
Anyway that's too late and we have to go in a world where the two biggest power are adversary. Humans are poorly minded.
It is the bi-partisan congress that is going after Russia.
ReplyDeleteAs one talk show host pointed out, congress is sooooo stupid.
- The Russian can leave out 3 astronauts on the international space station (Thx Obama).
- Russian can nationalize the billions that Exon has invested in Russia.
"Rex Tillerson’s Company, Exxon, Has Billions at Stake Over Sanctions on Russia" - NYT
IMO sanctions can work, but they have to be short , sharp & brutal.
Ratcheting up sanctions slowly is usually stupid. It is like going to war against the enemy for years. You train the enemy.
The opposite of sanctions can work. You flood the zone.
Maybe a middle approach between the two will work, but it is not this congress that knows how to do it.
It seems to me that people have a hammer and everything looks like a nail.
Putin and the Russian oligarchy are definitely the enemy. However, there are more than 1 way to deal with enemy.
Look..the west's mindset is not "stuck" as you say... in fact there's never been as much progress and wealth than anytime before in the west, so get your facts straight, OK?
ReplyDeleteNow the mindset on Russia is not stuck either. Our attitude is highly dependent on who runs Russia. Is that such a surprise to you?
Once Putin is gone and a more liberal, modern thinking president runs Russia, we'll likely see joining arms. But there's no way the west is going to collaborate with someone many believe has taken billions in corruption money, and likely commanded the execution of political opponents,and keeps provoking Nato. What do you expect? We be friends? Lol not gonna happen. Look, Putin is getting old. .maybe 4 more years. .maybe 10... that's it. . And then I hope Russia will modernise and join the international community. I know the Russian youth thinks alike, so it'll happen eventually.
Anonymous said...
ReplyDelete"Look..the west's mindset is not "stuck" as you say... in fact there's never been as much progress and wealth than anytime before in the west, so get your facts straight, OK?
Now the mindset on Russia is not stuck either. Our attitude is highly dependent on who runs Russia. Is that such a surprise to you?
Once Putin is gone and a more liberal, modern thinking president runs Russia, we'll likely see joining arms. But there's no way the west is going to collaborate with "
You mean like Medyev?
He was liberal, modern thinking. Key word is 'was'
Then he was suborned or threatened to the Dark Side.
I like how people think NAZI-ism is genetic to the German people. Like teachers, who taught at a whole grade school, middle school and high school rolled into one. That is a very large school of people, who were 'open minded', went to liberal arts colleges.
I guess they never heard of Stanley Milgram or the F scale. You wonder what liberal arts colleges are for.
Those teachers were ignorant and wrong. Still at some point people have to rise up and take a bad system done through the vote, mass demonstrations, work stoppages or some other means ... or have someone do it for them (like what happened to Germany, Italy, Japan, Iraq, or Afghanistan).
BTW Are you a coward? He have the name anonymous. does that make 2, 3 or 4. There is the Swedish Anon, the Leftist/Anarchist/ ... Anon and apparently we have a Russian Anon.
Are we going to have to submit posts to writing style analysis, policy analysis or IP analysis? I just wonder what games we are playing here. I do know a Russian speaking hacker. I have never done anything like that, but I would like to know who is real and who works for a government or whatever.
Anyway the 2nd or 3rd Anon is really muddying up the waters either purposefully or they are afraid of their own governments.