CAATSA

Latest at the Diplomat takes a look as US efforts to punish China for buying Russian military equipment.  This is a big deal, and the Chinese are pissed; there may be consequences down the line.  At the same time, it shows the extent of US financial muscle…

As The Diplomat has extensively covered recently, the U.S. decision to implement CAATSA sanctions against China and Russia has the potential for huge fallout. On the one hand, the use of the CAATSA sanctions represents a remarkably innovative use of financial and legal muscle, one that may portend a much more active effort to disrupt how the Chinese and Russian defense industrial bases (DIBs) do their work. On the other, it represents a major threat to core tenets of sovereignty that major powers have traditionally held dear: the ability to manage their own defense acquisitions and procurement without major foreign interference. Either way, the United States has decided to escalate its competition with Russia and China in a challenging new way.