JRL NEWSWATCH: “The Sanctions on Russia Are Working: Slowly but Surely, They Are Weakening Putin” – Foreign Affairs/ Vladimir Milov
“… Russia had the opportunity to cushion its economy against Western sanctions before Putin declared war. … Russia accumulated substantial financial reserves. … increased trade to Asia … and[,] [m]ost important, Putin aggressively strengthened his repressive machine to deter mass protests against deteriorating living standards. … [E]xpectations that Western sanctions would cause the Russian economy — and Putin’s regime — to quickly disintegrate were unrealistic. Putin has invested significant resources in a disinformation campaign aimed at misleading Western policymakers about the real effects of sanctions. But make no mistake: they are, in fact, hobbling the Russian economy. … [T]he myth that they are not effective could nudge policymakers to drop them, giving Putin a lifeline. … Given time, sanctions may well deter Russia’s aggressive behavior. Western policymakers must conduct a detailed analysis of the impact … instead of accepting a narrow set of manipulated indicators. … [A]bove all, they must be patient.”