Who is the real loser when it comes to sanctions?

When I heard the EU was going to sanction Russia, I took a screen shot (with the date posted) of the stock market prices for the major exchanges. Then, today, I did it again at market close. Guess what. All our markets fell during the time I first saw the announcement and today (compare the market final prices between the two days for yourself - most news sites I saw today say they rose). Hmmm... I'll bet Russia was really hurt, though. Of course, this article says that the Russian markets actually jumped ahead.

"Even so, Russian markets rallied, as investors deemed the sanctions less severe than feared, with Russian stocks, bonds and the rouble rising."

James Nixey of British think tank Chatham Houses admitted, "It will hurt a little bit but it's a down payment on the future security of Europe. It's a question of Western credibility."

Sorry, James, actually its a question of the credibility of the U.S. government when it comes to a matter of talking about a country that is harboring someone the NSA can't get ahold of, and it's also a question of the naivete of European governments in accepting that one of the most corrupt governments the US has yet elected is telling the truth. We have taken out our own citizens out with drones, taken out government leaders with drones, and spied on our allies relentlessly, even after we were caught, to the point of being kicked out of Germany. Go ahead, trust our satellite pictures (did the State Department actually release them, or not?) and politicians.

Goodness knows most Americans don't trust our leaders, but hey, we have all that cold war tension that was built up from the 80's that makes us especially willing to fight against any "commies." So, if our government leads us to WWIII in Ukraine, we'll come along for the ride. After all, it won't be our country getting torn up (again). And don't worry, we've got some great planes we can sell you... But I think the sanctions are going to hurt more than just a 'little bit'. Perhaps we can trade for apples... Don't worry, we're in this together.

You see, for years everyone has been trying to bring the world under one big economic system (when I say everyone, read most governments). Some countries have had stronger economies during this time, like Germany, and others have not, like Greece. However, the stronger economies have always been able to hold the weaker ones up. Well, Russia and China are two VERY strong economies with VERY little debt. In fact, Australia is the only Western economy that has such a unique world situation right now. But, Russia and China have already decided they are tired of the way the West is treating them and started to pull out from it. What happens when this transition is complete?

Based on how our minor sanctions of Russia hurt us, I would have to say being removed from Russia's economy completely (and China's too) will be pretty painful. Also, based on the fact that our sanctions against N. Korea have still allowed how many? MIGs to be smuggled into the country from Cuba, I would have to say our sanctions are about as effective as placing a child in time out and leaving the room.

If you bully a kid long enough, he is going to fight back. The problem is, most kids who get bullied aren't as big and powerful as Russia.