Last month Goldman Sachs confirmed it handed a blood-soaked economic lifeline to the authoritarian socialist government of President Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela.

The United States has quietly taken the first step towards softening economic sanctions against Russia. The White House’s explanation for the ease was far from clarifying. A healthy dose of critical skepticism is in order.

Gen. Michael Flynn has been under scrutiny for privately discussing U.S. sanctions against Russia with that country’s ambassador to the United States before President Trump took office, which would be a violation of federal law (the Logan Act). But what are sanctions, and why do we have sanctions against Russia?