Only one third of the world's people live in countries that have imposed sanctions on russia. For those countries, deciding who to back hasn't been a straightforward calculation. A large number of countries are sitting on the fence for amixed f motives which can be hard to untangle. Their reasons range from commercial incentives, to ideological commitments of long standing, to their own strategic amb as well as simple fear.
ONE-THIRD of the world’s population lives in countries backing neither Russia nor Ukraine. The Biden administration has tried to persuade them off the fence, without much success. In Egypt, social mores make it tricky for women to live alone—so they have devised clever tactics to avoid unwelcome attention. And why residents of New Jersey are banned from pumping their own petrol—for now.
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