RETHINKING - FEBRUARY 23, 2022 - SANCTIONS THAT HURT

The last events in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine put the Western leaders in front of a new reality, the official start of the Cold War II. 

During the last decades after the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Western countries thought that peaceful relationships with Russia were possible. 

But after the Russian invasion of Georgia in 2012 and the assault on Crimea in 2014, some of the leaders and politicians of the United States and Europe began to think that under the Putin regime, Russia will continue acting as the worst enemy of the West. 

In an interesting opinion column of the Editorial Board of the Wall Street Journal titled "The ’80s Got Their Foreign Policy Back" we read "As Vladimir Putin considers how much of Ukraine to conquer, it’s worth recalling a moment when a U.S. presidential candidate was ridiculed by his opponent for being right about the Russian autocrat. We’re referring to Mitt Romney, the GOP nominee in 2012, who said at the time that Russia was America’s main geopolitical foe."

In a new WSJ Editorial Board column from yesterday - February 22, 2022 - titled "With Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine, a New Cold War Arrives", we learn "U.S. and European sanctions are still too weak against Putin."

This column put on the table an important step that Germany is taking in response to the Russian invasion of East Ukraine: "The most encouraging surprise came from Germany, which said it is halting the certification for Russia’s Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline for now."

I am not an expert in Russian politics, however my blog comment under the second WSJ column says that the " Sanctions have to produce pain in the top of the Kremlin."

Other members of the WSJ Members Community had agreed with my comment posting LIKED answers.

SOURCES: The Wall Street Journal, Deutsche Well (German publication).