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Thursday, August 7, 2014

CFR Update 8/7 Russia Institutes Food Ban Against West

Council on Foreign Relations Daily News Brief
August 7, 2014

Top of the Agenda

Russia Institutes Food Ban Against West
In retaliation against Western sanctions over its involvement in the Ukraine crisis, Russia on Thursday banned most food imports (AP) from the West in a move that will likely bruise Western agriculture businesses and lead to shortages in Russian cities. The ban includes imports of all meat, seafood, vegetables, fruit, dairy, and a wide range of processed foods from the United States, the European Union, Australia, Canada, and Norway for one year (FT). Meanwhile, fighting continued in eastern Ukraine between government troops and separatist rebels. Polish prime minister Donald Tusk said that the possibility of Russia deploying military forces in Ukraine has risen, as roughly 20,000 Russian troops have massed near the border (NYT).

Analysis

"But before the West celebrates the possibility of Putin being forced from the throne, we should consider what might come after him. This is not an argument against sanctions or against political change in Russia. But the country's history tells us that prolonged economic malaise often brings about political turmoil, the result of which has never been a democratic Russia," writes Julia Ioffe for The New Republic.
"Economic experts in Moscow warned the Kremlin would have to use its favourite weapon sparingly if it did not want sudden price rises or shortages to shake the population out of a nationalist euphoria it has promoted during the crisis," write Kathrin Hille and Stefan Wagstyl for the Financial Times.
"Europeans feared that the United States' meager economic ties with Russia made it too easy for Washington to push for sanctions, while Washington feared that the governments of many EU member states were too dependent on Russia's oil and gas to do what needed to be done," write Stephen Holmes and Ivan Krastev for Foreign Affairs.

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