Reason editors Matt Welch, Peter Suderman, Katherine Mangu-Ward, and Nick Gillespie discuss attempts to isolate Russia from the rest of the world.
2:28: Americans boycotting all things Russia.
31:26: Weekly listener question: The Cork Opera House canceled an upcoming performance of Swan Lake by the Royal Moscow Ballet. FIFA has said that Russia will not be allowed to compete in the World Cup. And the Eurovision Song Contest announced Russia will not participate in the 2022 show. On the Reason website, Christian Britschgi (March 2, 2022) makes the case that Russian civilians are not in any way responsible for this or any of the actions of an authoritarian government: "Russian tanks have entered Ukraine, so Disney's films can't enter Moscow's cinemas?" The Economist tweeted, "The world must be willing to bleed Vladimir Putin's regime of the resources that enable him to wage war and abuse his own people even if that imposes costs on Western economies." I suspect that sanctions, such as the ones The Economist calls for, will hurt the most vulnerable in Russia's population. I think there is something of a consensus that Putin believes that Russia ought to be an imperialist nation, and he craves to be a large player on the world stage, such that Russia is respected as a world-class power. Is it possible that the snubbing of Russian performances will have no effect on Putin?
41:22: Biden's State of the Union address
This week's links:
- "Congress Tees Up a Plan To Seize Russian Yachts and Properties in the US — and Sell Them for Ukraine Aid," by Juliana Kaplan, Ben Winck, Joseph Zeballos-Roig, and Hillary Hoffower
- "International Cat Federation Bans Russian Cats From Competition," by Jennifer Hassan
Send your questions to roundtable@reason.com. Be sure to include your social media handle and the correct pronunciation of your name.
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