Euro-Atlantic sanctions against Russia: effects and defects

Abstract

This article is based on an analysis of the strategic context of the sanctions policy in different historical periods and in various countries, as well as effectiveness of the sanctions mechanism itself. The authors show that in the course of several waves of sanctions policy directed against Russia, the European partners of the United States, under the powerful pressure of Washington, began to fully participate in the sanctions measures, which partly looked very formal. The article examines the experience of sanctions policy both from international organizations and the United States. Assessing the effects and analyzing the proportionality of sanctions measures compared with other methods of achieving political and geopolitical purposes, the authors point out the low effectiveness of Euro-Atlantic economic sanctions against the Russian Federation. Russia's implementation of countermeasures against Western countries, the introduction of the complete ban on food imports from the EU countries, caused enormous damage to the initiators of anti-Russian sanctions, especially to some European countries that suffered serious losses having big impact on the GDP of these countries. Contrary to the expectations of the initiators, the sanctions policy has had a healing effect on the Russian agro-complex. While tens of thousands of jobs were lost in the EU countries, in Russia new jobs were created, and the country strengthened its food security.