The Choice for Sanctions

Abstract Western sanctions against Russia have proven less effective than expected. They have had a powerful impact on the Russian economy, but they neither deterred Russia from attacking, nor prevented the Russian government from financing its war efforts. This was only to be expected. Sanctions rarely achieve their political objectives. Still, there was no alternative. Western powers could not have failed to respond to Russian aggression. The question is one of consequences – not just for Russia, but for the West too. Agathe Demarais argues that the aggressive use of sanctions may backfire against American interests. She makes this argument in general terms; the sanctions on Russia are only among the most recent illustrations. US efforts to restrict China’s access to advanced microchip technology are even more misguided, Demarais suggests. But how did White House officials miss this? In fact, they probably did not. What Demarais calls ‘backfire’ may be intrinsic to the Biden administration’s ‘foreign policy for the middle class’.