This brief reviews the development of US and EU sanctions on Russia in 2014 and early 2015. The author also discusses 1) what led US policymakers to develop new sanctions tools to deal with Russia; 2) the extent to which the sanctions affected Russia’s strategy toward Ukraine; and 3) what lessons the US and the EU can learn from their sanctions that may be relevant to future sanctions policymaking. He also provides recommendations for policymakers in the US and the EU on ways to improve their sanctions policies. …read more