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.
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
-
Who Will Make Money on AI?
Reports
Executive Summary The private sector is playing a leading role in advancing the frontier of artificial intelligence (AI). As a result, commercial incentives are likely to have...
By Geoffrey Gertz & Emily Kilcrease
-
USTR Hearing on Section 301 Investigations into Structural Excess Capacity
Congressional Testimony
On May 5, 2026 Emily Kilcrease, Senior Fellow and Director of the Energy, Economics, and Security Program at CNAS testified at the Office of the United States Trade Representa...
By Emily Kilcrease
-
The UAE Wants a Dollar Lifeline
Podcast
Rachel Ziemba joins The Indicator to discuss the relationship between the U.S. and the UAE in terms of investment. Listen to the full interview on The Indicator | Planet Money...
By Rachel Ziemba
-
President Trump Wants to Be Able to Sell the Iran War as a Win
Video
Rachel Ziemba, founder of Ziemba Insights and adjunct senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security, says that investors should look beyond the ending of the Iran wa...
By Rachel Ziemba
