Anti-Russian Sanctions: Then and Now

ABSTRACT In March 2014, the United States and European Union announced the imposition of sanctions against Russia through measures affecting the Russian Federation in order for the country to meet unconditionally all the demands of the United States and some Western countries against Russia’s position on the issue of Ukraine. The nature of the sanctions suggest they are aimed at Russia’s international isolation, weakening its economy, discrediting its president, and creating the image of a rogue state. Russia is not the first country against which the United States has applied sanctions without United Nations approval. The author cites examples of these sanctions, compares the anti-Russian sanctions with those carried out in secret under President Reagan to weaken the Soviet economy, and addresses the potential negative consequences for Russia due to the economic and financial sanctions imposed on it.