A New Year's Resolution to Russian Sanctions?

Despite high hopes in Moscow for economic relief, the future of sanctions against Russia remains unclear. Visiting Georgia on Monday during a tour of Russia's borderlands, U.S. Sen. John McCain promised a bipartisan push in Congress to expand the punitive measures against Moscow over the next few weeks. Just a few days earlier, President Barack Obama slapped sanctions on Russian intelligence services for their alleged role in meddling in the U.S. presidential election in November. But politicians in the United States are far from united on the issue. President-elect Donald Trump has pledged to reshape Washington's relationship with Moscow once he assumes office Jan. 20, an effort that could lead to eased sanctions. The European Union is equally divided over the future of its own sanctions regime against Russia. Though the Continental bloc recently voted to extend the measures, the EU program will come under increased scrutiny as its July 31...