• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Romeo Squared

Defense with a Baltic edge

  • Air Force
  • Army
  • Navy
  • Russia
  • Military strategy
  • About
    • Privacy Policy

Sanctions are a tool of reward, not of punishment

2018-12-14 By Anders Puck Nielsen Leave a Comment

Thomas Wonder has a great piece in War on the Rocks on the effects of Western sanctions against Russia:

At a broad level, Russia has not modified its behavior since the initial imposition of sanctions in 2014 over the annexation of Crimea. Since then, Russia has rescued President Bashar al-Assad through a brutal air campaign, conducted disinformation campaigns targeting U.S. and European elections, and tried to kill a defector on British soil with a nerve agent, all the while continuing its actions in Ukraine that provoked the original sanctions — including the detention of three Ukrainian navy ships in the Kerch Straits on Nov. 25. Domestically, Putin and his supporting cast of loyalists have largely cruised to election victories at all levels of government despite a slow-growing economy and unpopular social reforms.

That’s not how sanctions work. No one changes behavior because of economic sanctions, but that doesn’t mean that the tool is broken or should be avoided.

Sanctions are a good way to show disapproval. If the other options are to do nothing or to wage war, sanctions are by far the best alternative. No one expects them to work in the short term, because they are introduced at a time when the “target country” is heavily invested in whatever behavior the sanctions are about. A normal state can be deterred by the threat of economic punishment the same way that a normal citizen can be deterred by the threat of a speeding ticket. But once you take the step to shoot your way out, you are beyond the point where a fine will stop you.

However, while sanctions don’t work as a tool of punishment, they are a pretty good tool of reward. Some day, another Russian leader than Putin will be in a position where lifting sanctions becomes a priority.

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Reddit

Related

Filed Under: Military strategy and politics Tagged With: EU, Russia, USA

Anders Puck Nielsen is the writer of the Romeo Squared blog. He is a military analyst at the Center for Maritime Operations at the Royal Danish Defense College.

Reader Interactions

< Previous
Next >

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Primary Sidebar

Top Posts

  • Helicopter scandals for everyone, Black Hawk to the rescue
  • Turkey is losing Leopard 2 tanks in Syria at an alarming pace
  • Political officers return in Russia’s military
  • A look at the Baltic Fleet and the defense of Kaliningrad
  • Russia has found money to repair the flagship of the Baltic Fleet

Follow blog via e-mail

Featured

How would a war between Russia and the West play out?

There is a specific military scenario connected with the possibility of a war between Russia and the West in the Baltic area. This summary explains how the war can develop from a limited insurgency to a nuclear exchange.

Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2021 · Romeo Squared

  • Air Force
  • Army
  • Navy
  • Russia
  • Military strategy
  • About
    ▲
    • Privacy Policy