--- Doug Henwood <dhenwood at panix.com> wrote:
> Ok, so what's behind the Putin Miracle? It's not the
> strength of his
> personality that turned Russia around, is it? What's
> his base, his
> milieu? And what would Russia be like if oil were
> $25?
>
> Doug
>
The short version is that he (I don't like saying "he," actually, as if it were Putin doing all the work, as if he were the autocrat of myth) tamed the regional barons and oligarchic business by making them accountable, thereby providing stability necessary for economic growth.
Can't speak about how much oil factors into it. Just judging by the amount of Russian products I see in the stores, there's a lot more going on that is reported in the popular press. (At one point in the 1990s 60% of goods sold in Russia were imports, if I recall correctly.)
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