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America’s Sanctions on Russia Are Not a Slam Dunk

Why the West’s economic response is entirely unprecedented—and the effects are impossible to fully predict.

By , a deputy editor at Foreign Policy.
A saleswoman waits for customers in a tea shop in downtown Moscow on September 23, 2019.
A saleswoman waits for customers in a tea shop in downtown Moscow on September 23, 2019.
A saleswoman waits for customers in a tea shop in downtown Moscow on September 23, 2019. DIMITAR DILKOFF/AFP via Getty Images

Russia’s War in Ukraine

The sanctions imposed by the West on Russia in response to its invasion of Ukraine are already historic. They may also shape the future of international politics for decades to come—in ways that are impossible to predict.

Cameron Abadi is a deputy editor at Foreign Policy. Twitter: @CameronAbadi

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