Scott Shackford on Russian Boycotts and Picking the Right Fights

Credit: Matt Fikse-Verkerk

Western activists are struggling for ways to approach the brutal, violent anti-gay culture that has developed in Russia and a government using it to flog nationalist aims. "Boycott" is the battle cry, but as Westerners cast about for targets, it's important to really know what the goal is. Scott Shackford notes that the targeting of Stolichnaya vodka by the gay community is a bad, self-destructive choice that could have been avoided had activists took the lead and not expected corporate culture to do it for them.