No “Potemkin” Sanctions In Response To Moscow’s Economic War On Lithuania

As the first reports of Soviet economic warfare against Lithuania begin to reach the West, the Center for Security Policy called upon the Bush Administration to adopt meaningful — not Potemkin — economic retaliatory measures against Moscow. In a paper released today, entitled An Effective U.S. Response to Soviet Economic Warfare Against Lithuania, the Center recommended specific measures that would impose real costs on the Soviet Union for its coercive policy toward those seeking independence and freedom in that Baltic state.

Frank J. Gaffney, the Center’s director, said, “It has been obvious for months that the Soviet Union would use its full economic power to try to preserve hegemony over Lithuania. It has been equally obvious that the United States could diminish the effect of such Soviet coercion were it to make such behavior costly to the Kremlin.”

Gaffney added, “Now, in the face of a Soviet cut-off of energy supplies to Lithuania — an act calculated to precipitate a devastating economic crisis there — it would be especially outrageous for America to continue efforts now underway to assist, much less expand, Moscow’s energy sector.”

Roger W. Robinson, Jr., former Senior Director for International Economic Affairs at the National Security Council and a member of the Center’s Board of Advisors added, “The emerging Soviet energy embargo of Lithuania validates the wisdom of discouraging nations from becoming unduly dependent upon Moscow for such oil and particularly natural gas resources.

Robinson noted, “This sensible policy concern was at the heart of the United States’ opposition to the huge Siberian gas pipeline project during a period of Soviet-sponsored repression in Poland. It was also central to a subsequent agreement by member nations of the International Energy Agency in 1983 not to permit undue dependencies on Soviet gas supplies in the 1990’s and the 21st century. Now is obviously no time to depart from such an alliance commitment.”

An Effective U.S. Response illuminates the distinctions between various cosmetic measures apparently under consideration by the Bush Administration as responses to Moscow’s economic assault on Lithuania and true sanctions. It calls for the immediate adoption of the latter as the only responsible American approach given the dire situation now facing the Lithuanian people and the United States’ own long-term interests in encouraging freedom in the Soviet Union and elsewhere.

Copies of An Effective U.S. Response may be obtained by contacting the Center.