A Sanctioned Resistance

Episode #292: Anrike Visser is Senior Policy Advisor at The Sentry, an investigative and policy organization. She focuses on economic statecraft, and joins us to discuss the challenges and complexities of sanctions in conflict zones like Myanmar.

Anrike brings a wealth of insight into the mechanics and challenges of using economic measures to weaken Myanmar’s military junta. Drawing on years of expertise in financial regulation and international policy, she explores how targeted restrictions aim to disrupt the junta’s revenue streams while avoiding harm to ordinary citizens. Anrike also unpacks the junta’s reliance on financial hubs like Singapore and Thailand and its sophisticated evasion tactics, including proxy companies, fake certifications, and illegal trade routes.

Anrike highlights how global enforcement gaps allow these measures to fall short, emphasizing the need for better coordination among Western powers and regional actors. Through examples like Myanmar’s timber and oil industries, she explains how some sectors remain critical revenue sources for the junta, while others, such as the garment industry, may require a lighter touch to avoid undue harm to civilians. The role of civil society organizations and investigative journalism is central to her analysis, showcasing how their on-the-ground expertise uncovers vital details about the junta’s networks and operational methods.

Anrike also stresses the importance of closing enforcement loopholes, accelerating response times to evidence of evasion, and harmonizing sanctions across jurisdictions. By combining these efforts with broader diplomatic strategies, she illustrates how economic measures can effectively constrain oppressive regimes.

In closing, Anrike calls for the international community to step up and support these local organizations who are now doing so much, and while in harm’s way. She says: “I just want to acknowledge that they are the ones that should receive a lot more support from the international community, financial, training, capacity, just to keep doing this work under these difficult circumstances.”