International sanctions against Vladimir Putin's Russia levied since the invasion of Ukraine are an important test case of the effectiveness of economic warfare by the advanced economies of the West, writes Peter McKenna. — Reuters file photoPeter McKenna, a professor of political science at the University of Prince Edward Island in Charlottetown, provided the following opinion article., it is worth contemplating what impact international sanctions are having on Vladimir Putin’s Russia.
The laundry list of economic, security and financial penalties against Russia is too long to identify here. And we should also note that the target list is being added to periodically and tweaked for maximum impact. The laundry list of economic, security and financial penalties against Russia is too long to identify here. And we should also note that the target list is being added to periodically and tweaked for maximum impact.
In addition, there is always the risk that damaging the living standards of ordinary Russians could serve as a rallying point for the regime. As a master of disinformation, Putin has sought to blame or scapegoat the West for what currently ails the Russian economy. Nor does the West want to precipitate the outright collapse of Russia’s economy and thus trigger a global economic downturn.For the moment, though, the cohesiveness of the West’s sanctions alliance has held.