The Trump Administration and Sanctions

The Trump Administration and Sanctions

            In the year that the Trump administration has occupied the White House, there has been no greater political controversy than the (mis)handling of Russia and their involvement in our past presidential election. In the months leading up to the 2016 election, there were numerous incidents of cyberattacks and social media propaganda dispersed by Russian hackers in order to sway public opinion in favor of then presidential candidate, Donald J. Trump. The occurrence of a foreign government interfering in our election is a threat to our political system, principle democratic values, and warrants a formidable response from the president of the United States.

            In August 2017, the piece of legislation “Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanction Act” (CAATSA) was passed by an overwhelming majority in Congress and signed by President Trump. The legislation required that the Trump administration provide a list of the Russian individuals or entities that intervened in the 2016 election. President Donald Trump had until January 29th, 2018 to divulge the information and punish Russia through imposed sanctions.

Despite the bipartisan support, there was no action taken by administration, but rather a list of Russian oligarchs was released by United States Treasury Department in a rushed last-ditch effort to meet the official deadline. The uncharacteristic dissemination of the information instilled a sense of skepticism as the validity and origin of the source was contentious. Moreover, the release of the names of individuals and entities did not prompt President Trump to actually impose the sanctions against Russia.

In light of the events, there were multiple justifications for not imposing political and economic sanctions. According to the State Department, a mere threat of sanctions would prevent the Russians from interfering in our political system and sufficiently address their previous transgressions. Similarly, the Trump administration argued that there was already legislation enacted to punish the hackers for their actions in 2016, and it was harming many Russian defense and intelligence businesses. Moreover, the administration estimated that the existing legislation would deter other countries from becoming involved in Russian business dealings and they did not completely renounce the possibility of imposing sanctions in the future. Also, the sanctions were supposed to function as a punishment for Russia’s aggressive behavior in Ukraine, therefore, the administration’s inaction allows them to get away with unacceptable acts and certainly will not deter them in the future. The inaction of the presidential administration regarding an incredibly pertinent issue reveals many inherent ideological and partisanship defects of some of the most high-ranking government officials.

The rejection of a bipartisan supported piece of legislation demonstrates the Trump administration’s disregard for the democratic process and the nation’s values. Moreover, it underscores the notion that the current administration is not committed to protecting our democracy, but rather prioritizing their own personal agenda. The inaction towards the menacing global superpower of Russia will cause the United States to appear weak and compliant in the international community.

Additionally, the failure to impose sanctions against those responsible for the cyberattacks that influenced our sacred democratic elections unveils the underlying relationship between the Trump administration and Russia. The recent events demonstrate that the relationship between the “leader of the free world” and the authoritarian prime minister, Vladimir Putin, is far more complex than previously thought. Moreover, the entwined nature of the friendship elicits greater skepticism towards Trump’s strained claims of “no collusion!” and “no obstruction!” Overall, the inaction of the administration insinuates that President Trump is more loyal to the Russian government than preserving the integrity of the democratic process in his own country.

The “Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanction Act” impropriety will significantly affect foreign policy, more specifically the promulgation of policy, domestic public opinion, and our reception in the international community. The transgressions of the presidential administration and the United States Treasury were unprofessional and hypocritical. The reputation of “a city upon a hill” will no longer apply to our nation as the “good” and moral political behavior that we promote is not actually observed in practice. Moreover, the American public will be further motivated to distrust elected officials and develop more misconceptions about foreign policy. Finally, in the international community our lapse in judgement will make our allies hesitant to become involved in our messy global affairs, question our credibility, and implicate our shortcomings. In conclusion, the failure to impose sanctions in Russia for meddling in the past presidential election will have long-lasting domestic and global consequences.