This executive order is an example of the governor exercising her power found in the state constitution and the implied powers given to state chief executives. Because this issue is time sensitive, given the recent invasion of Ukraine, Hochul’s use of an executive order was strategic because she did not need approval from Congress or state legislatures. As we learned in class, executive orders are used when efficiency is crucial in emergencies. Although an executive order does not require other branches to weigh in, going against the checks and balances, it shows that sometimes having one person in power can create change more quickly.
The executive order includes canceling investments in Russia, although it is unclear the direct impact that this will have on the Russian economy. Hochul pointed out that New York’s economy is larger than Russia’s. The US has already announced several new sanctions on Russia, covering about 80% of Russian banking assets. Additionally, the US, European Union, UK, and Canada all declared that some Russian banks would be expelled from SWIFT, a financial messaging service. Despite these attempts to hurt the Russian economy, along with Hochul’s order, Russia has made sure not to rely on other countries for the last few years; it relies heavily on domestic production of goods.
Hochul has also announced that New York will welcome any Ukrainian refugees and has pointed out that New York has the largest Ukrainian population in the country. As people flee Ukraine to avoid the Russian invasion, Hochul hopes to make New York a safe place for these refugees.
Personally, I support the governor’s executive order, and I think that it is important that the US, and the rest of the West, do everything we can not to support Russia economically. Although it is unclear the exact impact this will have on Russia’s economy, every small thing helps this ongoing battle. Additionally, I greatly admire Hochul’s efforts to welcome Ukrainian refugees as they try to find a safe place to live.
Questions:
Do you think other governors should follow Hochul’s lead?
How do you think this executive order may impact the daily lives of Russian citizens?
Do you think the US should be more aggressive with sanctions on Russia and its allies?
https://abc7ny.com/new-york-state-russia-executive-order-russian-business-entities/11606061/
https://www.cnn.com/2022/02/26/business/russia-economy-sanctions/index.html
https://www.nga.org/governors/powers-and-authority/
4 comments:
I think that other governors should definitely follow Hochul's lead. Collective action is necessary to help the people affected by this conflict, and I think that this will certainly help. I also hope that other governors take her lead on the refugee issue as well. Those fleeing Ukraine need a place to stay, and I hope that the U.S. is a safe place for them to do so.
However, it is worth pointing out that these sanctions will not only have an effect on Russia's government, but its everyday citizens as well. It is unfortunate that they will suffer for the actions of Putin that they probably don't support, but it is necessary to protect Ukraine.
Like Zara said, the other governors should follow Hochul's lead, making sure that support for Russia is cut off from more states than just New York. With the Russian economy plummeting, this might help in the effort to defend Ukraine, and end the war. While this will affect Russian citizens, hopefully, these sanctions manage to dissuade Putin from invading further, allowing those same citizens to be free from sanctions.
One interesting piece of information that I found while doing further research is that these harsh steps seem to have only been taken about the Russia-Ukraine invasion. For example, while the new Taliban government in Afghanistan had gotten sanctions imposed upon them by the U.S, they've recently been relaxed so that people can transact with the government of Afghanistan, even though it is run by the Taliban now.
I certainly think that other governors should follow Hochul’s lead. This is because Russia, and Putin in particular are acting irresponsibly, immaturely, and most of all they are acting without regard for human life. In order to demonstrate to Russia, their allies, as well as the rest of the world that the U.S. doesn’t support Russia’s actions in the slightest, all state Governors should sign executive orders which prohibit involvement and assistance directed towards Russia. To set a strong example, all 50 states need to be clear that Russia will receive no help whatsoever from the U.S.A.
I think that this executive order will have little impact on the daily lives of Russian citizens. New York’s financial involvement in Russia is likely minuscule compared to the already sizable amount of countries and regions which have decided to cut Russia off economically. As such, the specific choice of New York’s Governor to prohibit New York and Russia cooperation will have a small impact at most on the daily life of Russians. Regardless, the choice echos the already important effort of eliminating all external Russian support, in addition to being a symbolic choice that reaffirms the U.S.’s strong stance against Russia’s actions.
I think the U.S. should be more aggressive with Sanctions on Russia and its allies in the future depending on the turn of events. At the moment, I feel that the U.S. should completely cut all support lines to Russia to demonstrate that they do not support their behavior. If the conflict escalates, and if Russia continues to press on into Ukraine regardless of the sustained damages, then the U.S. should also cut ties with Russian allies to demonstrate an elevated sense of disappointment.
If this hasn't already happened, all governors should follow Hochul's lead. At this point, the West has isolated Russia as much as possible, but it seems oil and natural gas exports are being exempted from sanctions. Energy exports make up about a quarter of Russia's economy, so continuing to accept Russian oil is keeping their economy afloat. Banning oil imports from Russia would be the cherry on top to fully isolate their economy from the United States.
Will Russians be lamenting specifically about Hochul's executive order? No, because almost every country is stopping trade with Russia... by that token, Russians will be impacted by just about every country and politician there is.
Like I said, the United States is being very aggressive against Russia as it is, but needs to place sanctions on oil and natural gas to make the largest impact. This is where I agree with Jenna - however Russia doesn't seem to have many allies at all. India, China, and Venezuela are semi-allies, but to my knowledge are not supporting Russia militarily. Russia is all alone, and it should stay that way until this mess comes to an end.
https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2022/3/3/how-much-damage-will-sanctions-do-to-russia
https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2022/03/the-wests-sanctions-on-russia-are-working-too-well.html
https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/us-prepared-move-alone-banning-russian-oil-imports-sources-2022-03-07/
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