When markets panic, authoritarian exporters cash in. In less than two weeks, Russia has earned an estimated 6bn from fossil fuel exports, money that ultimately feeds the Kremlin's war machine. Easing sanctions now would not stabilise markets. What it would do is allow Russia to sell the same oil for a far better price.
The Justice Department has formed a working group to examine possible federal charges against officials or entities within Cuba's government, according to an official familiar with the group. Officials from government agencies including the Treasury Department will be part of this group. Treasury's involvement could mean the Trump administration is considering further sanctions against Cuba, already the subject of intense U.S. economic sanctions.
In a stunning geopolitical reversal, on October 29, the United States abruptly lifted sanctions on Bosnian Serb leader and genocide denier Milorad Dodik a known Kremlin ally who has long undermined Bosnia and Herzegovina's sovereignty. The decision, which contradicts years of US policy, intriguingly coincides with the beginning of direct dealings between Russia and Bosnia's Serb entity, Republika Srpska. The Russians, who had long treated Belgrade as the only authority representing all Serbs across the region,