The Weaponization of GLOMAG: How Rivals Co-opt U.S. Sanctions to Target Business and Political Opponents

Context

We often imagine U.S. sanctions as a clear-cut instrument for justice, targeting bad actors globally. But this piece asks a really interesting, and slightly unsettling, question: what if those powerful tools, designed to protect human rights and combat corruption, are actually being weaponized by the very rivals they’re meant to confront? It explores how the architecture of laws like Global Magnitsky sanctions, despite their good intentions, has become susceptible to manipulation, allowing adversaries to exploit them to neutralize opponents and settle scores. It challenges us to think about the unforeseen vulnerabilities in our systems of accountability.

Show notes