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Article: The remaking of a superpower. (Capitol Ideas).(economics and Russia)(Brief Article)
- Article from:
- Chief Executive (U.S.)
- Article date:
- January 1, 2002
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2002 Chief Executive Magazine. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Russia is back. Or at least, it's heading that way.
For most of the 1990s, America's superpower rival appeared to be neither a superpower nor a real rival, and it was an open question whether Russia would prove a sustainable economy. Promises of reform were constant; results were few. President Boris Yeltsin wobbled between disorganization and inebriation. Poverty deepened, and the average lifespan of Russians shortened. Corruption was endemic. The 1998 ruble crisis only confirmed the West's worst suspicions: Russia, it seemed, would never match China's entrepreneurial drive or Poland's economic discipline.
Finally, that perception is changing. Nearly ...