Western sanctions on Russia are like none the world has seen

“BAN RU$$IA FROM SWIFT”. “Rusia Fuera de SWIFT”. The placards on display at demonstrations across Europe during the last weekend in February were signs of the times. In place of the straightforward demands of yesteryear, like “Arm the South African workers” and, perennially, “Ban the bomb”, many of the messages focused on access to the digital-messaging system used by financial institutions for cross-border payments.