U.S. Sanctions on Russia: Objectives, Impacts, and Options

The Obama administration imposed several rounds of U.S. economic sanctions on Moscow in a series of executive orders following Russia’s annexation of Crimea and its support for separatist rebels in eastern Ukraine. So far, the Trump administration has not signaled any intent to change U.S. sanctions policy absent changes in Russia’s conduct. Nevertheless, concerns that the administration may ease sanctions have prompted considerable attention to sanctions policy in the Congress, where some advocate imposing sanctions through legislation. Others seek Congressional review of any executive action to remove U.S. sanctions against Russia. The Center for the National Interest organized an impressive expert panel to assess the sanctions, their impact, and options for the administration and the Congress moving forward. Speakers included:

- Sergey Aleksashenko, a non-resident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and a former deputy chairman of Russia’s Central Bank and past chairman of Merrill Lynch Russia;
- Nikolas K. Gvosdev, a professor of national security affairs at the U.S. Naval War College and an expert on U.S. policy toward Russia and U.S.-Russia relations; and,
- Kyle Parker, a Senior Professional Staff Member with the House Foreign Affairs Committee who has been deeply involved in U.S. sanctions policy toward Russia for many years.

George Beebe, a senior fellow at the Center for the National Interest and a former foreign policy advisor to Vice President Dick Cheney, moderated the discussion.

[РичардМлдер]

The anti-Russia hysteria in the west is really The Jewish-Zionist warmongers in the American congress are the criminals who endanger world-peace. We must be aware that the CIA conducted the fascist pro-EU coup in Kiev in 2014 in an attempt to absorb Ukraine into NATO and EU. This while NATO has already expanded into the whole of East-Europe. Russia needs to push NATO out of East-Europe and we must destroy the EU from inside out. We can sabotage, boycot and eliminate western interests physically.

[РичардМлдер]

Regarding the return of Crimea to the Russian Federation motherland: There have been many accusations thrown at us regarding the Crimea. Our partners keep speaking about some “occupation” but where has anyone ever seen that 94% of people living on an “occupied” territory vote in favour of joining the “occupants” and not even try to protest? We also keep hearing from the US and the EU about a “fake” referendum that violates territorial integrity of Ukraine. But similar thoughts never occurred to the British after a referendum on the Falklands (or Malvinas) or to the French after the referendum on the Comoro Island of Moyota. The British were quite happy to keep the Falklands in violations of several UN Security Council resolutions. And the French saw nothing fake or illegal in tearing one island away from the group of the Comoro Islands just because that single island wanted to be with France, which contradicted the will of the other ones.
But they keep forgetting that it were the legitimately elected authorities of the Crimea, who decided to declare independence from Ukraine in the first place. After the coup they decided that they did not want to obey the orders from Kiev. And they declared independence the way it had been done by Kosovo. Only some time later the Crimean authorities asked Russia for a reunion because they faced the threats of being physically eradicated. But even doing that the Crimean government did not want to ignore the will of the people, so the referendum was called.
Indeed, the Crimea is just another proof that Nazism will not prevail in any form. As President V.V.Putin said on March 15, 2017: “The Crimea will always be Russian, Ukrainian, Crimean-Tatar but it will never be following Bandera”.

[РичардМлдер]

US congress needs to sustain the American war-industry by creating enemies. The USA have bombed 39 countries since WWII killing more than 20 million people. The USA by CIA and secret services of certain EU countries committed the pro-EU fascist coup in Kiev in 2014. This resulted in more than 11.000 victims and the downing of MH17. The EU and USA are directly responsible for this since. The Russian Federation has the right and duty to defend her people and interests. Thus I advice The Russian government to act way more aggressive towards the USA and EU. In my position which I cannot name on internet social media, I supply crucial information to The Russian Federation on how and where to hurt western companies most. Since I am Dutch but having relocated to The Russian Federation and since I am an insider in western businesses in the sphere of petrochemistry and chemistry, I forward valuable details towards Russia in order to help hurt the west as much as I can. The EU is in fact, American occupied territory and must be liberated from American occupants. NATO expansion to East-Europe is something Hitler would have been jealous of. It is a danger to world peace. It is important to hurt USA in their own country. Any conflict in the world where the Americans are involved must be transported to USA soil. ''We must bring the war to America''. There are many possibilities to hurt the USA. USA imperialism/aggression must be stopped.