Gentle or Spin Cycle
Unilateral US Sanctions against Russia
Deutsche Fassung
Abstract
After Russia’s annexation of Crimea in the spring of 2014 and the start of the war in eastern Ukraine, the United States imposed numerous unilateral sanctions on Russia. In terms of the number of individuals and legal entities affected, Russia ranks second only to Iran among countries subject to US sanctions. Financial sanctions have restricted Russian state and private banks’ access to Western capital markets. Overall, however, the US administration has taken a rather cautious approach to tightening sanctions out of consideration for the trade and energy linkages of its allies in Europe. This could change given the crisis between Russia and Ukraine as well as Russia and the West. The case of Russia in particular shows that sanctions are gaining in importance as a foreign and security policy instrument for dealing with international crises.
(Osteuropa, 10-12/2021, pp. 83–104)