Don’t count on sanctions to push Putin from power

Isolating Russia economically may not have the intended effect, as the examples of Iraq, South Africa and Myanmar show.

For politicians simply seeking to punish Russia, the spectacle of its painful and humiliating descent into poverty as a result of Western sanctions may be enough. For those seeking to help Ukraine, however, mere vandalism is insufficient.

Sanctions are unlikely to starve Russia’s military of basic supplies. Rather, the hope is that the suffering of ordinary Russians will pressure president Vladimir Putin to change course.