The West has already slapped sanctions on Russia. The economic sanctions like embargo on purchase of natural gas by the west European countries from Russian entities would sting, though Russia has some buffer with its chest of foreign exchange reserves of $600 billion to tide over immediate purchases from outside world.These are other costs that the West is promising like personal sanctions against the coterie members of Vladimir Putin. Some talks are on that even the children of the Russian oligarchs who are currently in the West will be adversely affected. Not one of the senior Russian officials or politicians would now be free to move out of the country.The third sanction which is going to kick in is the ostracisation of Russian banks in international payments systems. This measure, pursued with vigour, can make life extremely difficult for Russia and its elites.For some reasons or other, the oligarchs, elites and senior politicians had a perchance for Britain and placed most of their ill-gotten wealth in Britain and British financial operators. There were up-scale streets in London counting ownership of Russian rich.Britain had already started seizing these and moving them beyond the reach of the Russian owners. So much so that the Russian president himself had protested against the British moves.However, such punishments would be relentlessly pursued now that the threshold had been breached by both sides.But if one country is genuinely inconvenienced, it is Pakistan, with none else than its prime minister, Imran Khan, being stranded in Moscow. With across the board flight restrictions in Russia, Khan might not simply get a flight back home.It just so happened that Pakistani Imran Khan was in Moscow when the Ukraine operation, much loathed by the entire free world, was launched by Russia.In this changed world of Putin’s making, China would be seeking its role in a vague and essentially unequal competition with Russia.It looks as though it would be a bi-polar world, with a tri-polar tendency. There would be conflicts galore and shadow boxing matches. Maybe, not a pleasant phase.(IPA Service)(Views are personal)
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