Today the Senate
passed a landmark update to US law on Russia:
The U.S. Senate on Thursday repealed a trade sanction imposed 38
years ago to force the Soviet Union to allow Jews and other
religious minorities to emigrate, replacing it with a modern-day
punishment for human rights abuse that has enraged Russian
officials.
The old law, one of the last vestiges of the Cold War, was
called the Jackson-Vanik Amendment, named after a U.S. senator and
a representative. The new law, passed 92 to 4, grants Russia and
Moldova permanent normal trade relations, but it is coupled with
the Sergei Magnitsky Rule of Law Accountability Act, which honors a
dead Russian. The law blacklists Russians connected to the death of
Magnitsky in police custody and to other gross human rights
violations, prohibiting entrance to the United States and use of
its banking system.
This was the end of a long battle that the White House lost.
With Russia’s admission to the World Trade Organization this year,
American exporters began to be punished for the trade restrictions
ostensibly required by Jackson-Vanik, even though the restrictions
had in practice been routinely waived since the fall of the Soviet
Union. The Obama administration sought a clean repeal of
Jackson-Vanik uncoupled from the Magnitsky Act, but a bipartisan
alliance in Congress rightly objected to the symbolism of
normalizing trade relations with Russia without any acknowledgement
of Moscow’s current authoritarian orientation. With its direct
sanctions on human rights violators, the Magnitsky Act is a welcome
move toward raising the cost of that authoritarianism.
Here’s how the State Department responded
to the bill’s passage:
The United States welcomes the passage by the Senate today of
H.R. 6156, which terminates the application of the Jackson-Vanik
Amendment to Russia and Moldova and authorizes the President to
extend Permanent Normal Trade Relations (PNTR) to both countries.
The passage of this bill will allow American businesses to reap the
same economic opportunities in Russia’s markets that other World
Trade Organization members receive, resulting in greater access for
American workers, companies, farmers, ranchers, and service
providers and the creation of more American jobs.
We share Congress’ goals of promoting respect for human rights
in Russia, and consider democracy, human rights, and civil society
to be important components of our relationship with the Russian
government and the Russian people. We also support Moldova’s
ongoing reform efforts and its aspirations for further integration
into European institutions.
The emphasis is hard to miss. Foggy Bottom hails the benefits of
Jackson-Vanik repeal, and refers only vaguely to the
equally-important sanctions on Putin’s thugs. The administration
may claim to “share Congress’ goal of promoting respect for human
rights in Russia,” but they can’t bring themselves to endorse
Congress’ policy apporach to that goal, or even mention the word
“Magnitsky” in their press release.
Recalling Obama’s
vow to Dmitry Medvedev that he’d have more “flexibility” on
missile defense negotiations after re-election, it’s hard not to
worry that the administration’s obsequious posture toward Russia
may soon manifest itself beyond press releases.
