US and Canadian Sanctions Against the Russian Federation in the Field of International Scientific Cooperation: Political and Legal Analysis

Abstract

The article provides a political and legal analysis of the US and Canadian sanctions against the Russian Federation in the field of international scientific cooperation. The classification of sanctions in the field of S&T cooperation is given. It is noted that by their nature, such sanctions threaten not only the national security and the level of technological development of Russia, but also significantly limit the universal tasks of solving global problems. Obviously, in the concept of open science and global interdependence, any scientific sanctions have a boomerang effect, since they limit not only Russia, but also other states, scientists, academic and educational organizations in cooperation to solve common problems. The authors draw the following conclusions: these sanctions do not have sufficient legal grounds; the consequences of their application are not normatively defined, so the gap in this part can be resolved on the basis of both the general principles of international law and by fixing in international agreements the consequences of a unilateral refusal to fulfill obligations (compensation for losses caused, distribution of risks and financial obligations); sanctions of this kind should not apply to individual scientists, since the channels of scientific communication act as an element of soft power and contribute to the removal of political differences (scientific diplomacy); the desire of the Russian authorities under the sanctions to diversify scientific and technical ties with other states of Asia, Africa, and Latin America is completely justified.