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This is a shallow take IMO; the idea of sanctions are to add enough friction to hurt, not to be able to completely throttle an adversary. Spending time trying
by arcticfox 4y ago
This is a shallow take IMO; the idea of sanctions are to add enough friction to hurt, not to be able to completely throttle an adversary.
Spending time trying to fund and manage black market networks, raiding recycling centers, buying and dismantling washing machines for chips etc. is all time that the Russians aren't putting towards streamlining cruise missile production.
- tgflynn 4y agoThe level of hardship imposed is going to be minimal once the black market structures are in place. These kinds of sanctions may have had an effect in the first few months of the war but that effect has probably vanished to practically nothing by now. At the same time sanctions and export restrictions impose costs on the US and its allies. Those costs aren't worth it if the restrictions aren't themselves effective, which they almost certainly won't be for common off the shelf components.
- politician 4y agoThat criminals break laws and crimes require investigation and prosecution which are activities that have associated expenses is not new. You have to remember that both investigation and prosecution involve a large amount of discretion, so the cost of the sanctions regime is dynamic and variable. Enforcement can put a small effort against low-value components and put a large effort into violations of high-value components. If the small effort put against low-value components deters some activity, then the goals of the sanctions regime are furthered.