RUSSIA - Council on Foreign Relations / Brookings Institution Interview

Council on Foreign Relations

Fueling the Fire in Ukraine

Interviewee: Steven Pifer, Senior Fellow, Brookings Institution
Interviewer: Robert McMahon, Editor, CFR.org
July 18, 2014

SOURCE - CFR - here.

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BLOGGER SUMMARY


Seek step-up of sanctions against Russia.

Outline what constitutes an unbiased investigation

• Ukraine
• Malaysia
• Boeing
• Neutralis:

• Finland
• Austria
• Switzerland

Suspicions of Russian control of eastern Ukrainians rehashed

Bloomberg 2013 Report:

• Russia had $43 billion in foreign currency bonds, circa Dec 2013
• Jan-Feb 2004, drop to $7billion
• March-date, zero

US - blocking lending to select large Russian corporations

EU - blocking all lending from:

• European Investment Bank
• European Bank for Reconstruction and Development

Question:  will Russia be a part of the resolution or the problem

Will sanctions bring Russia to heel?

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COMMENT


This is what stood out for me (not complete summary).

War is much nastier than I imagined.

Being indebted could cripple a country.
It's restrictive  -- particularly if investments and borrowings aren't spread.

Any country that's in debt could find itself dancing to someone else's tune.