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When Washington used CAATSA against a Nato ally
Summary
A retrospective on the US sanctions on Turkey over its purchase of Russian S-400 missile defence systems, announced on 14 December 2020.
What did it mean when sanctions designed for adversaries were turned on an ally? On 15 December 2020, that question followed the announcement a day earlier by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo that the United States had imposed sanctions on Turkey over its acquisition of the S-400 missile defence system from Russia.
As reported at the time, the move was the first use of the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act, known as CAATSA, to penalise a U.S. ally.
The law behind the measure
CAATSA is a U.S. federal law that imposed sanctions on Iran, North Korea and Russia. It works by preventing U.S. companies from doing business with sanctioned entities. The Senate passed the bill on 27 July 2017 by 98 votes to 2, after the House had approved it by 419 to 3. President Donald Trump signed it into law on 2 August 2017, though he believed the legislation was seriously flawed.
What the announcement marked
The sanctions targeted Turkey over a purchase of Russian-made air defence equipment. Until the announcement of 14 December 2020, the law had not been applied against a U.S. ally, which is what set this decision apart from earlier uses of the act.
