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
-
Hamas has been experimenting with crypto for years
Former CIA counterterrorism analyst Yaya Fanusie discusses Hamas's crypto haul amid the Israel war, arguing terrorists are 'creative folks.' Watching the full interview with ...
By Yaya J. Fanusie
-
Six steps to disrupt Hamas and other terrorist groups’ finances
The US government should use all available tools of national power to protect the United States and its allies, work toward the recovery of American and partner hostages, and ...
By Alex Zerden
-
Stricter Verification Laws in the U.S. Won’t Stop International Terrorists from Using Crypto
The realm of terrorist financing is always a cat-and-mouse game....
By Yaya J. Fanusie
-
Comments on Provisions Pertaining to U.S. Investments in Certain National Security Technologies and Products in Countries of Concern
Submitted by: Sarah Bauerle Danzman (Associate Professor, Indiana University Bloomington; Senior Fellow, Atlantic Council), Tim Fist (Fellow, Technology and National Security ...
By Emily Kilcrease, Tim Fist, Sarah Bauerle Danzman, Ngor Luong & Emily Weinstein