Misreading Russia, and Why China Should Care

Igor Shuvalov, Russia's first deputy prime minister, is honest enough and happy to discuss his country's problems with foreign journalists. But in looking at Russia's specific problems, he sees only material problems, and not those of the spirit. He looks at technology, but overlooks Russia's core problem: its own system. Without even this basic understanding, various "central plans" and "grand plans" not only lack substance but are unlikely to go very far.