The Sinews of War: Sanctions and Sanctions Busting

Well over a year into Russia’s war in Ukraine, Europe has remained united and has enacted successive sanctions packages to punish Russia’s aggression. These measures will need time to have their intended effect, and their success will require continued economic and societal resilience in western societies. Russia is seeking to circumvent sanctions through the type of unconventional and illicit sanctions busting schemes that have proved effective elsewhere. Along with other sanctioned countries, it is building alternative procurement networks, and parallel import and export routes through third countries and outside official trade channels.

Speakers

Aziz Burkhanov

Associate Professor at the Graduate School of Public Policy at Nazarbayev University

Daniel Fried

Weiser Family Distinguished Fellow at the Atlantic Council

Rikard Jozwiak

Europe Editor for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty

Marie Mendras

Professor at Sciences Po University and Research Fellow with the National Centre for Scientific Research

Pavel Slunkin

Visiting Fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations

Moderator

Rachel Tausendfreund

Senior Fellow with the German Marshall Fund

Can western governments fix porous export control regimes, and monitor private sector transactions and delivery chains to ensure the effective implementation of the Russia sanctions regime? How should they deal with third countries that are implementing sanctions selectively, or not at all? How has the Russian elite been impacted by sanctions? What is an appropriate balance between better implementing existing sanctions and announcing new ones?

“Nervos belli, pecuniam infinitum.” (The sinews of war, unlimited money)
Marcus Tullius Cicero, Philippics 5.5 (c.43 BCE)