BusinessinterestsincreasinglyconflictwithnationalinterestsIt’sallwellandgoodthatUkrainewantstoretainitsindependence,butbusinessisbusiness.TheWesterndemocraciesmaybedividedonhowbesttodeterRussiafromtakingovertheUkrainianeast,butthemultinationalcorporationsofeverynationseemtohavecometoconsensus—effortlessly,automatically—onhowbesttodealwithRussianPresidentVladimirPutin’sthreattoUkraineandrollbackofdemocracywithinRussiaitself:Ignoreit.It’snobigdeal.ThereismoneytobemadeinRussia.RiskingPutin’swrathwoulddiminishtheearningsofallthoseshareholderswhoseinterestschiefexecutiveslovetoinvoketojustifytheirmoremorallynauseatingpolicies.HaroldMeyersonwritesaweeklypoliticalanddomesticaffairscolumnandcontributestothePostPartisanblog.Nostalgicneoconservatives,whocallforsendingtroopstotheBalticstatesandarmamentstoKiev,deridePresidentObamaforhisostensiblepusillanimity.ButtrytofindaneoconcondemnationoftheglobalcorporationsthathaveleanedonEuropeangovernmentsnottoimposesanctionsonRussiaforfearthatsuchactionswouldimperiltheirinvestments.TheyhavestakesincashcowssuchasRosneft,theRussianstate-ownedenergycompany(inwhichBPhasa20percentinterest).TheysellluxuryautosandrunningshoesfromMoscowtoVladivostok.ThecompaniesthathavemostavidlyexpressedtheiroppositiontosanctionsaredisproportionatelyGerman—understandably,sinceGermany’sflourishingmanufacturingsectordependsonRussianoilandgastorunitsfactoriesandRussianconsumerstobuyitsproducts.TheCEOsofsuchGerman-basedfirmsasBASFandAdidasareamongthecorporateleaderswhohavetoldChancellorAngelaMerkelthatsanctionswouldcrippletheircompaniesandbringdownthecountry’seconomy.ButnotjustGermanfirmswantbusinesstocontinueasusual.BPhaswarnedWhitehallofthethreatsanctionsmightposetoBritishbusiness.MajorU.S.companieshavedealswiththeRussiangovernment,too.ExxonMobilhaspartneredwithRosnefttosearchforoilintheArctic.Boeingsellsitsplanestostate-controlledRussianairlines.RussiaisPepsi’ssecond-largestmarket;Cargillhasmorethan3,000employeesthere;GoldmanSachs,MorganStanley,Ge...
