The US has imposed several categories of sanctions on Russia in response to malicious or objectionable Russian activity. A new report from the Congressional Research Service provides an overview of US sanction tools and authorities, and their application to the case of Russia. It also discusses the various sanction regimes, their targets, their effectiveness, and the countersanctions that Russia has introduced. See U.S. Sanctions on Russia, November 28, 2018.
Other new and updated products from the Congressional Research Service include the following.
Iran Sanctions, updated November 28, 2018
The “National Security Exception” and the World Trade Organization, CRS Legal Sidebar, November 28, 2018
U.S. Tariff Policy: Overview, CRS In Focus, November 28, 2018
District Court Temporarily Blocks Implementation of Asylum Restrictions on Unlawful Entrants at the Southern Border, CRS Legal Sidebar, November 27, 2018
The Venezuela Regional Migration Crisis, CRS In Focus, November 27, 2018
Brexit at a Pivotal Moment, CRS Insight, November 28, 2018
Revisiting the Doubling Effort: Trends in Federal Funding for Basic Research in the Physical Sciences and Engineering, CRS Insight, November 27, 2018
Administration of the House of Representatives: Actions Taken During a New Congress and Following a Majority Change, CRS In Focus, November 26, 2018
Electing the Speaker of the House of Representatives: Frequently Asked Questions, updated November 26, 2018
Defense Primer: Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, CRS In Focus, updated November 14, 2018
Defense Primer: RDT&E, CRS In Focus, updated November 13, 2018
Defense Primer: Congress’s Constitutional Authority with Regard to the Armed Forces, CRS In Focus, updated November 13, 2018
Defense Primer: Legal Authorities for the Use of Military Forces, CRS In Focus, updated November 13, 2018
Satellite imagery of RAF Lakenheath reveals new construction of a security perimeter around ten protective aircraft shelters in the designated nuclear area, the latest measure in a series of upgrades as the base prepares for the ability to store U.S. nuclear weapons.
It will take consistent leadership and action to navigate the complex dangers in the region and to avoid what many analysts considered to be an increasingly possible outcome, a nuclear conflict in East Asia.
Getting into a shutdown is the easy part, getting out is much harder. Both sides will be looking to pin responsibility on each other, and the court of public opinion will have a major role to play as to who has the most leverage for getting us out.
How the United States responds to China’s nuclear buildup will shape the global nuclear balance for the rest of the century.