Zalmay Khalilzad, former Ambassador to Afghanistan and Iraq, discusses his perspectives on U.S. foreign policy successes and failures, and the geopolitical outlook following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
On the impact of sanctions on Russia: “I think sanctions or at least a threat of sanctions did not deter, because we had a lot of discussions about the sanctions before the attack… Now, sanctions can affect Russian relative capabilities. I think one area that they could affect is its economy, its production of things. Even to some degree a brain drain also that’s taking place… It would punish Russia and weaken it over time…They may come under pressure as they weaken in areas where they are now relatively stronger.”
On the partnerships needed to counter the rise of China: “The challenge that Russia poses is a one-dimensional… challenge. But China is kind of a huge challenge across the board… There may be need for new kinds of partnership between the government and the private sector to successfully deal with it. And it’s hard, I know, because what drives private companies may be not the same as what the government is supposed to do. But we have to maybe think of creative ways, because the challenge is so big that the government alone may not be able to deal with all the demands that it faces.”
This episode was recorded on May 16, 2022
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