Russia and the West: Withstanding the Sanctions

The article substantiates the relevance of the sanctions policy as an instrument of international relations and inter-state interactions, explores the political, economic and legal essence of international sanctions, their purpose, tasks, types and features, systematized nomenclature of the various forms of sanctions impact, the illegality of unilateral methods in circumvention of the UN and other international structures and the discriminatory sanctions against the Russian Federation and other States. Consideration of  legitimate and illegal, beneficial and negative impact of the sanctions has become the subject of intense debate not only in expert and political environment, but in society in general. However, in domestic science, including public administration, this subject is still the exception. The need for such research is extremely relevant, especially in terms of scientific substantiation of practical recommendations. The author argues that unilateral sanctions are a reflection of the deep differences not only between countries but also between different civilizations and different social class systems. The article presents the principled Russian position on the choice of forms of legal reasoning and application in modern international practice of sanctions limitations, their positive and negative consequences. Attention is drawn to the conditions under which sanctions are justified and shall become effective instruments of political, economic, power and even the propaganda on the country ignoring or not wishing to fulfill the assumed obligations in accordance with international law, including humanitarian law. Considerable attention is focused on the analysis of unilateral sanctions sectoral nature, which, with its negative impact on the economy, cutting back on investment, are destroying the markets. The sanctions reduce access to the newest technology. All this requires a serious forecast of the development of adequate measures and sanctions response. Also addressed are the handling limits and global leadership of one or more powers, the validity of the instruments used to neutralize the negative manifestations of unilateral dominance, the effectiveness of various forms of international cooperation in a spirit of harmony and constructive interaction. The authors also present the generalizations and conclusions related to the anticyclonic component of the system of public administration.

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