On June 30, at 15:00 Moscow time (GMT+3), the Valdai Discussion Club hosted a presentation of a new report, titled “Post-COVID-19 Sanctions Policies: Are We in for Epidemics of Sanctions?”
Sanctions are a striking indicator of the imbalance of the modern system of international relations or, to cite the metaphor used in several Valdai Club reports, a “crumbling world”. The erosion of global governance instruments and the increase in unilateral measures are fraught with sanctions escalation between major economic players – primarily the United States and China, experts say.
One possible consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic could be the mitigation of multiple sanctions regimes. Some countries have even made humanitarian exceptions to their restrictive measures. At the same time, COVID-19 has done little to change the practice of using sanctions. As they were, they remain an instrument of coercion, pressure and the achievement of foreign policy goals.
What are the strategies, approaches and opportunities of key global players on the topic of sanctions? Can an increase in the sanctions standoff between the US and China lead to a heated conflict? The participants in the expert discussion will answer these and other questions.
Speakers:
- Peter Harrell, Senior Researcher, Center for New American Security (USA)
- Vasily Kashin, Leading Researcher, IFES RAS
- Dmitry Kiku, Deputy Director of the Russian Finance Ministry’s Department of External Restrictive Measures Control
- Ksenia Kirkham, United Kingdom, PhD (King’s College London)
Moderator:
- Ivan Timofeev, Programme Director of the Valdai Discussion Club, author of the report