The final blow of a US presidency: Punitive sanctions to weaken economies and force compliance

By Elijah J. Magnier:

In a striking final act of his presidency, Biden imposed some of the toughest sanctions yet on Russia’s oil and gas sector. The late move comes just days before President-elect Donald Trump takes office, creating an intriguing dynamic that could strongly influence the incoming administration’s foreign policy. The decision has sparked debate about its strategic implications, its alignment with US interests and the diplomatic ripple effects it could have globally.

China, a key Russian partner, could play an essential role in mitigating the impact of these sanctions. By increasing its purchases of Russian oil and gas, China could help offset some of Moscow’s losses, thereby weakening the overall effectiveness of the sanctions. This dynamic underscores the complexity of isolating Russia in a multipolar world where key players diverge interests.

In addition to the latest sanctions targeting Russia’s energy sector, the Biden administration has recently imposed several other punitive measures against various international actors, including the head of Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces, Venezuelan officials, and Hungarian officials.

Soft-devastating power

Sanctions are not uniformly applied to undemocratic regimes and are often designed to weaken a rival state’s influence or secure strategic advantages. While presented as a way to promote democratic governance in targeted countries, many authoritarian regimes remain robust partners of democratic states. The double standards of sanctions policies – targeting some regimes while partnering with others – breed cynicism about the true motives behind these measures. The uncomfortable reality is that sanctions are rarely designed to promote genuine democracy. Instead, they are instruments of coercion designed to force submission to the interests of more powerful states. 

Sanctions have long been a favoured foreign policy tool, offering a way to pressure adversaries without military intervention. However, their economic and social impact often extends far beyond their intended targets, crippling populations while leaving entrenched governments relatively unscathed. This paradox raises critical questions about their effectiveness, mainly as sanctions increasingly affect allied nations and vulnerable economies.