April 27, 2023
Incentivizing Whistleblowers to Combat Sanctions Evasion
This article was originally published in War on the Rocks.
Earlier this year, a small drone flew over a Belarusian airfield, perched atop a Russian warplane, and blew up. The attack put out of action one of Russia’s last few A-50 radar aircraft, which helped hurl ballistic missiles towards Ukraine. Now Russia seems unable to replace the aircraft, because foreign suppliers don’t want to deal with the Kremlin. Sanctions are to be thanked for that.
Although misguided patriotism drives many Russian intelligence officers to support President Vladimir Putin’s war machine, money can persuade sanctions-evasion enablers — especially lower-level conduits outside Russia — to do the right thing.
The harder that sanctions bite Russia, the more it tries to dodge them. The Kremlin’s evasion networks now span the globe, evading the long arm of American law. Faced with widespread evasion, Washington ought to admit that government enforcement can pierce only so far into the shadowy world of Russian sanctions-dodging. Instead of relying solely on traditional enforcement tools, it should leverage the power of whistleblowers. Thankfully, there is an easy way forward: Expand Rewards for Justice, a long-standing State Department program that gives cash for tip-offs.
Read the full article from War on the Rocks.
More from CNAS
-
Economic Security in Asia Part 1: China's growing pains with Dan Rosen
Podcast
Dan Rosen, leading expert on China's economy and head of the Rhodium Group's China practice, joins Emily and Geoff to talk about the recently concluded third plenum meetings i...
By Emily Kilcrease & Geoffrey Gertz
-
What a Bunch of Malarkey!
Podcast
Emily and Geoff discuss the U.S. presidential election and what that might mean for economic security policy. They get into trade policy, what both candidates would do to comp...
By Emily Kilcrease & Geoffrey Gertz
-
How U.S.-China Competition Upended the International Economic Order and What the United States Can Do to Fix It
Podcast
On June 26, CNAS hosted an event to discuss a new report, Disorderly Conduct: How U.S.-China Competition Upended the International Economic Order and What the United States Ca...
By Emily Kilcrease, Geoffrey Gertz, Adam Tong & Peter Harrell
-
Sanctions by the Numbers: 2023 Year in Review
Reports
Executive Summary In 2023, the Biden administration continued to prioritize sanctions as a key tool to support U.S. national security and foreign policy objectives. The United...
By Rowan Scarpino & Jocelyn Trainer
