News Article

In Germany, business officials are encouraging political elites to ease sanctions against Russia. This has discouraged German Chancellor Angela Merkel from advocating more extreme penalties. The promotion of these sanctions has grown as the crisis in Ukraine has become more serious. Many of Germany's largest companies operate in Russia and tough sanctions could negatively impact one of their largest markets. President Barack Obama plans to broaden the sanctions and Merkel plans to meet with American officials to avoid this. 

Many other countries including Italy, Greece, Egypt, and Japan also have hesitations in increasing sanctions against Russia, fearing the negative impact they could have on their respective economies. One third of German gas and oil is imported from Russia and "there is no question that Germany's economic interests would be best served by avoiding sanctions". It will be interesting to see in the coming weeks whether or not sanctions against Russia will lengthen over the coming weeks as the crisis in Ukraine continues. Determining what is best for both the world and the global economy will continue to be a challenge for the world leaders. 

http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303948104579535983960826054