> It sure looked like Russia was going completely to hell in the
> Yeltsin years - towards absolute impoverishment and disintegration.
> And Putin didn't only stop it, he reversed it. That's a remarkable
> achievement, and we don't really know much about how it happened.
> Surely it had to be more than the strength of his personality - but
> what was it?
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Putin has benefited mightily from higher oil prices - same as Chavez, no?
But you also have to be capable of playing the hand you've been dealt.
MG