Will the Magnitsky bill “replace” the Jackson-Vanik amendment?

A piece of legislation is moving through the U.S. Congress. If adopted, it’s likely to further damage U.S.-Russia relations and, as some analysts predict, may even serve as the fatal blow to the Obama administration’s policy of “reset” with Russia.

It’s hard to see how American national interests were damaged in the Magnitsky case. Yet last year, Sen. Ben Cardin (Democrat-Maryland) introduced a bill, S. 1039, that would deny U.S. visas to and freeze financial assets in the U.S. of Russian officials implicated in Magnitsky’s death. This spring, a similar bill (H.R. 4405) was introduced in the House of Representatives.

Related article: Will the Magnitsky bill “replace” the Jackson-Vanik amendment?

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