Timothy, excellent piece, thank you! I would like to add a few small points:
1. sanctions have already impaired the Russian war effort. There are reports that Russian production of missiles, tanks and other weapons systems is down and stopped in some cases due to lack of imported parts. This will grow over time. Russian officials have stated that the air fleet and vehicle transport capacity will be impaired over time. Therefore sanctions have already directly saved lives and helped the Ukrainians defend their country.
2. many Russian decision makers have personally lost millions and billions, and understand the only way this wealth can be regained is through removal of sanctions, which they understand will not happen as long as Putin continues the war. While they may be patriotic, they have personal financial interest in a different approach to Russian foreign policy.
3. sanctions are not a magic bullet. A bullet's impact is immediate, but sanctions take time to make an impact. Consider that when you turn on the faucet, the glass is not immediately full, you have to wait for the glass to fill up. The longer sanctions are in place, the stronger the impact will be on the Russian economy and Russian ability to wage war against Ukraine and any of the other countries Russian political commentators have threatened including Poland, the Baltic states, Kazakhstan etc.
4. Sanctions are only one tool. A surgeon does not simply cut out the cancer, but also uses antibiotics and other treatments. Similarly, sanctions alone will not cause Russia to stop invading Ukraine. Meaningful and material financial and military support for Ukraine must be provided as an overall package to stop Russian aggression.
Sanctions are working.
Sanctions are important.
The world including Africa, Asia who are suffering from food supply issues as a result Russia's war should join the sanctions. And the sanctions rolled out now should be a model response against invasions everywhere in the world.
West is stupidly subsidizing burning food instead of gasoline/diesel and than accuses Russia for hunger! And by the way, west also imposed sanctions on exports of Exports of fertilizers from Belarus much before the Ukraine war - in typically western arogant way -of interfering into Belarusian domestic politics! Belarus has been the largest or second largest world exporter of Potas... and west in its arrogance stopped that exports which are very important in order to feed hundreds of millions of people around the globe! And then you will say again, that it's Russia's fault - what of a hypocrisy!
Stupid, hypocritical and flawed the West may be but we are free to do and say as we please because western societies stood up to their despotic regimes and evolved whilst the majority of "Russians" continue to suffer in silence.
Timothy, excellent piece, thank you! I would like to add a few small points:
1. sanctions have already impaired the Russian war effort. There are reports that Russian production of missiles, tanks and other weapons systems is down and stopped in some cases due to lack of imported parts. This will grow over time. Russian officials have stated that the air fleet and vehicle transport capacity will be impaired over time. Therefore sanctions have already directly saved lives and helped the Ukrainians defend their country.
2. many Russian decision makers have personally lost millions and billions, and understand the only way this wealth can be regained is through removal of sanctions, which they understand will not happen as long as Putin continues the war. While they may be patriotic, they have personal financial interest in a different approach to Russian foreign policy.
3. sanctions are not a magic bullet. A bullet's impact is immediate, but sanctions take time to make an impact. Consider that when you turn on the faucet, the glass is not immediately full, you have to wait for the glass to fill up. The longer sanctions are in place, the stronger the impact will be on the Russian economy and Russian ability to wage war against Ukraine and any of the other countries Russian political commentators have threatened including Poland, the Baltic states, Kazakhstan etc.
4. Sanctions are only one tool. A surgeon does not simply cut out the cancer, but also uses antibiotics and other treatments. Similarly, sanctions alone will not cause Russia to stop invading Ukraine. Meaningful and material financial and military support for Ukraine must be provided as an overall package to stop Russian aggression.
Sanctions are working.
Sanctions are important.
The world including Africa, Asia who are suffering from food supply issues as a result Russia's war should join the sanctions. And the sanctions rolled out now should be a model response against invasions everywhere in the world.
West is stupidly subsidizing burning food instead of gasoline/diesel and than accuses Russia for hunger! And by the way, west also imposed sanctions on exports of Exports of fertilizers from Belarus much before the Ukraine war - in typically western arogant way -of interfering into Belarusian domestic politics! Belarus has been the largest or second largest world exporter of Potas... and west in its arrogance stopped that exports which are very important in order to feed hundreds of millions of people around the globe! And then you will say again, that it's Russia's fault - what of a hypocrisy!
Stupid, hypocritical and flawed the West may be but we are free to do and say as we please because western societies stood up to their despotic regimes and evolved whilst the majority of "Russians" continue to suffer in silence.