Russia sanctions about to be rolled back

Democrats are in a full-throated cry for Russian blood, but when the G7 meets today new Russian sanctions will not be on the agenda.

When foreign ministers from the Group of Seven (G7) meet in Toronto on Sunday, new sanctions against Russia will not be a topic of discussion.
Instead, the group — made up of the U.S., Canada, Germany, Britain, France, Italy and Japan — will focus on ways to keep pressure on Moscow, as well as Iran's activities in the Middle East and North Korea's nuclear program, Reuters reported on Sunday.

I'm not sure what pressure they have in mind, but it won't be new sanctions because they have failed.
This is the exact opposite of what was reported earlier this week.

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin met with his Russian counterpart this week to help clarify questions on recently imposed US sanctions...
The meeting comes less than a week after US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley announced on Sunday that the Trump administration was ready to impose further sanctions against Russia. But the administration walked back that statement, saying it had refined its strategy.

So what happened in just a week? What happened is that our European allies are crying uncle.

A Europe-wide diplomatic push is under way to persuade the Trump administration to ease US sanctions targeting Russia, as fears mount that the restrictions are so severe they risk hitting manufacturing activity across the continent.
Paris, which is marshalling the efforts after sanctions on Russian metals companies caused aluminium prices to soar, is pushing allies including Berlin, London and Rome to make a joint representation in Washington.
The French-led initiative underscores the widening concern in Europe about the consequences that sanctions could have on key EU industries from cars to aerospace.
A French official warned that the sanctions, which have crippled Russian aluminium producer Rusal, would have a “direct and major impact on the provisioning of key products” and that a number of industrial plants in Europe were threatened with closure.

Economic sanctions don't work if the rest of the world doesn't play along.
While this article points to France taking the lead against more Russia sanctions, Germany has been screaming about them earlier and longer.
Europe is the only major players cooperating with sanctions, because as I've pointed out before Asia has never cooperated with the Russia sanctions.
Russia has been making close economic ties with China and Iran for the last decade, but in recent weeks India and Pakistan and Turkey have cut deals.

What was the last straw for Europe? The China sanctions.

“We are allies,” French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said Friday in a news conference. “We can’t live with a Sword of Damocles hanging over our heads.”
He indicated that until the U.S. removes the threat of tariffs on European steel and aluminum, the bloc wouldn’t join in Washington’s campaign to pressure Beijing.

The ruling elite might be OK with a permanent state of military war, but they aren't down with a permanent state of economic war.
Reuters reported a few weeks ago "Russian sanctions dent European share recovery".
Killing people is one thing. Killing profits, OTOH, is unacceptable.

Share
up
0 users have voted.

Comments

Both the Russians and EU, in particular Germany, have claimed that the severe sanctions are not meant to punish Russian to change its behavior, but rather sanctions are a means for American companies to obtain market share and dominance. In the case of aluminium looks like sanctions or tariffs on China and Russia which have 4 of 5 top aluminium producers. Of course on energy front, US pressuing Germans to stop Nord Stream 2, and instead buy American LNG, such as Poland did. Of course, at much higher prices.

I suppose it is not surprising that the French might lead the anti-sanctions actions as their agriculture was hurt bad when Putin imposed counter sanctions on EU food imports. I believe the Italians lost a shit load of money also in agriculture sector because of counter sanctions. I even read where Lithuanian pig farmers protested the original sanctions as they lost big time.

It looks like Lindsey Graham and company want Europe to pay a huge cost to enforce US foreign policy both in terms of lost revenues/jobs and higher costs for vital American goods.

But you know what is going to happen. If Trumnp backs down from Russian sanctions due to EU pressue, the democrats and media will have a field day charging that Trunp loves Putin and that is why no sanctions. Damn you Trump! Get tough with Putin! (and in the process break up the EU alliance and cause a potential trade war with our allies).

This is all beginning to bubble up. A recent phony study from Iowa University (and pimped at TOP) accuses Russians of being anti-GMO. "No no world, buy GMO foods as the Russians hate them." One of the main front pagers wrote an article attacking Russian rocket engines as no good--some strange shit to write about on that site.

On another front, from what I read, SWIFT will not expel Rusaia. The Russians have been claiming that internally they have their own system in case it happens. Plus Russians pushing with BRICs countries an alternative to SWIFT. I wonder if the Chinese are working on their own version.

Will the sanctions get rolled back? Don't know as Trump is under pressure to even do more of them.

BTW, i think Haley was talking out of ass about sanctions. She had previously tried to make foreign policy with these sorts of announcements with Tillerson. And yes, the war monger is for few days a hero of the MacResistance for telling off the White House.

Thanks for update.

up
0 users have voted.
Alligator Ed's picture

@MrWebster Sanctions are a direct contradiction to basic law of neoliberal religion: Obey the market--Don't crash the market. Sanctions disrupt markets, impelling participants to look for other sources than USA determines to be acceptable. French, German, Italian economic policy does not succumb to Russophobic hysteria emanating from the likes of the entire Demonratic party, Nikki Haley (who's always mad about something), Lovely Lindsey, etc.

The U.S. is overextended economically as well as politically. No body is going to want to buy our more expensive stuff, when they can get it cheaper closer to home.

up
0 users have voted.
snoopydawg's picture

@MrWebster

Russian to change its behavior, but rather sanctions are a means for American companies to obtain market share and dominance

Aren't sanctions on countries illegal or an act of war? Bush 1 and his buddies at the CIA asset stripped Russia during Yeltsin's presidency and they removed 400 tons of gold from the country. Did you see this link that Lookout put in the Alligator's essay on how we Raped Russia?

It looks like if we can't regime change Putin now, we'll still mess with its economy. The last sanctions that we did recently hit the economy big time. Billions were lost, but for some reason after we bombed Syria, the economy recovered. RT had the article on it. (I'll see if I can find it)

But you know what is going to happen. If Trumnp backs down from Russian sanctions due to EU pressue, the democrats and media will have a field day charging that Trunp loves Putin and that is why no sanctions. Damn you Trump! Get tough with Putin! (and in the process break up the EU alliance and cause a potential trade war with our allies).

People are already saying this. But Trump has been tuffer on Russia than Obama was. Obama didn't want to give Ukraine weapons because of the risk of pissing off Putin. Trump did. He also did a bunch of other things, but the media doesn't let people know about it because they have to keep up the charade of Trump being Putin's BFF.

This is all beginning to bubble up. A recent phony study from Iowa University (and pimped at TOP) accuses Russians of being anti-GMO. "No no world, buy GMO foods as the Russians hate them." One of the main front pagers wrote an article attacking Russian rocket engines as no good--some strange shit to write about on that site.

I read that diary and had to LOL Dash 1 because he didn't make any sense. Funny how he attacked Russia's rocket engines when people from this country have to hitch a ride on Russian rockets to get to the space station. And one dumb ass said that we should stop cooperating with Russia on it. This is how insane some of the new members are over there. Scratch one-s head

Germany refused to play "bomb Syria" with the other kids because they just signed an agreement with Russia for their gas. How long until the other countries decide to tell us that they are done playing in our sandbox because we're ruining their economies?

up
0 users have voted.

Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.

@snoopydawg It has become like an online version of the John Birch society.

up
0 users have voted.
OzoneTom's picture

@MrWebster

“Aughinish is indispensable for the alumina supply of the European market

The Russian company owns a facility in Ireland which is a major supplier of product for European smelters: German car producers could fall victim to US sanctions against Russian aluminum

up
0 users have voted.

The rest of the world is waking up, Russia is the good guy and the US is the bad guy. I am hearing this loudly and clearly from all of my international friends here. The phrase I keep hearing is that the US crushes the souls of other countries, especially its supposed allies. I have a friend from Poland and he says that the attitude there is changing fast. Many Polish people see commonality with Russia, culturally, linguistically, and feel that the tilt to the West was a really bad idea, that they have been screwed and are not going anywhere with that. They have been one of the most Russophobic Eastern European countries up to now. Expect management to not get it for a while. Germany is thoroughly in bed with Russia, economically. They also have this thing about WWII, the Great Patriotic War, and feel considerably uneasy about Russia bashing, something the UK and the US have no problem with. Germany and Russia are technology co-partners in many areas. Russian Natural Gas is key to Germany's transition to a low emissions future. You see many German cars on the street here in Moscow. They have factories here and are breaking ground for more. My opinion is that the US needs major reform in how it relates to Russia, as Russia is winning in the court of public opinion. Brand US is getting mightily tarnished. The World Cup here is going great with all of the tickets allocated by nation having been sold out and they are now on an open ticket sales until they run out. Sold something like 175000 tickets on the first day of open sales. This will be a great party--the World's party and the US will sit this one out and sulk.

There is this great European paradox. Russia is the complement (with an e) to Europe. A vast country with great resources. More energy, grains, minerals and space technology then all of Europe combined. You could hide all of Europe in a tiny corner of Russia and not find it. But here's the point, and it has been stated many times by Russians, Europe and Russia as friendly partners would be the greatest region on the planet, vastly more successful than the US. This is an ancient problem as Europe has always feared and attacked Russia. Why? Russians don't want this.

Sanctions have always been applied by furious arm twisting of EU states. Very few EU countries believe that this is a good policy, but they go along because the power of unity is beaten into their brains. But the power of unity against what? A successful World Cup will expose the real Russia globally and people will like what they see. I expect big changes this Fall, much to the dismay of the Deep State in the US and all of the brainwashed sheeple.

up
0 users have voted.

Capitalism has always been the rule of the people by the oligarchs. You only have two choices, eliminate them or restrict their power.

@The Wizard Given the insular nature of the American media, hard to tell, but seems to me that Russia-phobia, really in many ways just outright xenophobia, is being pushed by various elites for their own political agenda. For example, in Sweden the leaders there are using using fear of Russia to divert from immigration problems (they will restart their military draft). The Baltics see Russia fear mongering as bringing in NATO dollars into the small poor countries. UK neocons use Russia to increase military budgets. Soros squarely blamed the refugee crisis in Europe totally on Putin.

The Poles since the Iraq invasion have tried to be loyal American allies and got nothing out of it. i read long time ago Poles gave up on visitor visas to the US expecting the US to ease up on such a loyal ally--nope. As their people traveled into the UK, Poles have been vilified with attempts to take away legal benefits from them.

up
0 users have voted.

It is getting harder to push around the rest of the world.

The empire has been on the decline for a long while as described in "Dark Ages America: The Final Phase of Empire" published by Morris Berman in 2006.

The introduction to the book is on line at

Dark Ages America - Introduction

My question for the reader is this: in all seriousness, which direction do you believe the United States is going in, at this point in time? My guess is that most of you will recognize this as a no-brainer; but to address the issue in greater depth, it might be instructive to consider the extent to which the four post-Roman Empire characteristics of the West apply to our present situation.

The Triumph of Religion over Reason

The Breakdown of Education and Critical Thinking

Legalization of Torture

Marginalization of the United States on the World Stage

Each one of these points is expanded.

Torture is on the agenda in the hearings of the CIA candidate.

Gjohnsit's article on the G7 is related to the final point of Berman, the loss of power on the world stage.

How much longer can Americans forget that Europeans are close geographically to the Middle East and Russia? Why is is so hard for Americans to realize that others are not keen on creating more unrest in the middle east. In Syria alone, there have been 10 million refugees and 600,000 dead, and we help Saudi Arabia create the worst humanitarian crisis in the world today.

Maybe, just maybe, the US arms industry is not in the interest to the rest of the world.

Maybe the new land, "offshore" where the billionaires live actually depends on the earth.

up
0 users have voted.