I would not be very surprised, if Russian citizens have different understanding of modernization than the President. And not because both sides necessarily have different ideas, but, primarily because the ideas coming from the top are not delivered in clear form, which can be easily understood by the citizens. Lets take this article and those "five steps to boost ventures", for example. I read it three times and still not completely get what are those steps. So, why it is assumed that all other Russians would? There is a quote which they say belongs to Einstein: "If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough.". That is what I am thinking -- may be the government itself doesn't have clear ideas about modernization? Though, there is nothing to be ashamed of. This is really not simple matter in today's Russia. But, if the government knows what it is doing, then it should really put some efforts on the delivery of information to the broad public. Because, this is the art as well. The same things said by different people or in different manner may have completely different effect on listeners. As a "small" Russian citizen which has certain ideas and has desire to create my own business, I do not need to know about the government plans. They are boring and irrelevant to me. What I need to know is, 1) where I go to register my company, 2) where I could get the loan to unroll my business, 3) whom I go to, if I am attacked by gangsters or unfairly treated by competitors, 4) what is the "government cut" in my profit, and 5) what is my "exit cost", in case if I fail. That's it. Nothing else. Those are "five steps" which I need to be described. All the rest is my own problems. The last thing I need -- the pile of papers with the government abstract plans or long procedures.

Is selling Russia out to Western Mega corporations also apart of modernization?

T'm according to Bogdanov. The common people is not interest in the "How"·they are interest on the "What", the first one is the area of the experts or professionals ,the other ,the area of the practice, facts.or the collective understanding. If Russian top leaders really want people understand them they really must be convinced of what they are talking about and must employ a short colloquial language ,. putting aside the rethoric and the doubts. On the other hand , they must strengthen first of all the domestic or regional economy of Russia. The problems must be solved from inside to outside.

While competition and fighting corruption are part of modernization, so is ending the falsification of your own history. Russia, from Medvedev and Putin on down, still cling to some particularly odious Stalinist lies claiming that the Baltics freely and lawfully joined the Soviet Union, and that there never was a Soviet occupation of those coiuntries. By continuing to embrace this lie, Russia yields to Stalin the power to continue to distort and handicap it from beyond the grave, and continues to allow Stalin to hinder Russia's modernization by setting up real and offensive barriers between Russia and its European neighbours.

"Competition and fighting corruption are part of modernization". Interesting statement. Even more interesting would be if the president and other enlightend heads in his entourage would seek to find the cause that engenders corruption in all modern societies... Then tackle the cause and presto, it is forever eradicated. Is it that difficult to do it? If we look hard enough around us and put things into their proper context, we would discover that the more "modern" a society is, the more corrupt it becomes. Corruption on a large scale is a relatively recent phenomenon and its visible beginnings are associated with the dawn of industrial revolution. Nowadays it is all-pervasive in the political, economic and financial environments, all around the world, sorry, no exceptions. And it appears to me that the more removed one is from the modern circus, the more honest and ethical, gentle and kindly disposed one is. And you know and feel it too! How is that possible? Huh? You tell me! Well, it logically follows that the roots the corruption are in the system itself that runs the world and not in the nature of people... Then, Mr. Medvedev, why enact so many laws that punish the people for „wrongdoing” but leave the cause of the the problem/corruption intact, huh? It is a well established fact that the way people act in any given society is determined by the rules and regulations imposed on that society. Change those and you change the way people act... either in a good or a bad way... The „hard” part is identifying and removing those causes. Oh, I know full well the „hidden hand” would do anything from preventing that from happening. I and many others like me are not stupid: we understand the problem, know of the solution but, at the same time, realise the big Game currently at play on this planet would prevent anything that may interfere with its course & scope.

Corruption is nothing but a shortcut people take under the present system of the rat race society, most of the time to catch their breath before returning to the race (make more money at all costs in order to economically and otherwise survive). Then why blame them? So, if you truly want to „fight corruption” you fight and change the system that generates it and not the people. People are just collateral victims of the game, nothing more. „The love of money is the root of all evils”. What would one do if one „loves” money? Hoards ever more of them in as short of a time as possible. How would that be possible? Attaching interest to money, lending money with usury. Then retrieving them from the „market” at will, plus the interest. And in order for the game to continue, more money needs to be printed to cover the interest, here comes inflation and the pauperisation of society, with a few filty rich, distruction of the environment included, lost health, lives distroyed. Were it not for interest, money would be nothing to be loved for, it would be just a means of exchange. Fact is that the present interest based money system brings about most if not all of the evils in the world today. I don’t have the time and space here to go into the intricate patterns of it and neither have I any desire. Whoever wishes to do so can further search the internet. Suffice to say that the european explorers of the 16th, 17th, 18th centuries found in the world at that time many societies having no interest based money system in which there was NO corruption whatsoever. Pacific islands is one exemple that comes to my mind, precolumbian amerindian societies etc. But if they didn’t have this plague, they had another: that of sacrificial religions to the gods... American war of independence was faught just because England, seeing how well its colonies fare under an interest free money system, tried to forcefully impose it upon them. Tea tax was just the tip of the iceberg.

Of course, competition has a symbiotic relationship with such an interest based money system and, even thogh it is looked upon as a good thing, it is not. It puts the system above the well being of the people and, implicitly, generates corruption. Thus, it turns out that under such a system, competition and fighting corruption are part of the modernization of the means to further exploit and enslave people. Many worlds and cultures in this galaxy have been completely taken over by the Orion Empire, just by using such an usurious money system. We are next.

And what about 80% increase of heroin abuse since Her Majesty's loyal gaylords invaded Afghanistan? Is that also a part of modernization? No disrespect to Mr. Medvedev, but, if everyone do their jobs at the borders, forget about illegals or tonnes of drugs, not even a bird can come inside a nation. I am an Indian born and lived their for 18 years, same stories among different nations. I hate repeating my self but drugs are their not only for the profit and money to the world private banking cartel, but, spiritual destruction is their main agenda.

As a British consumer I know exactly how my government is able to 'help' me - by a workable mechanism of the law. My consumer protection rights are safeguarded by various legislation and using them does not affect my statutory rights. If I'm not happy with a company I'm dealing with, I have a choice to make a formal complaint to the appropriate body and wait for their investigation of my complaint, or I'll take this company to a court. There is also an appropriate Ombudsman that can take your case and its decision is non-biding, allowing any further legal action. The court has its own "small cases court" where again I have a choice of "do it yourself", presenting my claim in front of the judge, or my legal representative will do it on my behalf. If I'm successful and won my case, the judge will decide on the remedy. Very often the unscrupulous traders doing everything possible to delay and avoid payments. Again, I have a choice as to how to execute my judgement: I can hopelessly wait when my defendant is 'ready' to comply with the judge's ruling, or I can apply for sending the bailiffs to confiscate the goods of the value of my judgement. By law, all private companies are registered with an appropriate body, and everybody has an access to the companies information. In addition to free information on the company's name, registration number, registered address, type of business and the dates of submitted accounts, it's also possible to obtain any other details and get them 'delivered' to your email inbox at a small fee. And what about modern lawyers, financiers and economists? Isn't it time for some to be graduated from the top British universities? The summer language schools and short business courses abroad are good ideas, but the secondary education's qualifications of Russian school leavers do not meet the entrance requirements in the UK. Does Russia know the 'secret' of success in Finnish education? Any good practice abroad may be useful.

Svetlana, You described the environment which I personally, as entrepreneur, would leave as soon as possible. If this is really the business environment in which British small private ambitious companies have to operate in, then I am not very surprised why (with all their brilliance in innovations) British prefer to work in the US. I hope, Russia will not borrow this business model, because, in this case, the Medvedev's modernization program is doomed. Regarding business courses abroad, we know from the history or Russia -- the “scholars” sent abroad, normally, do not return back to Russia. I mean, the best of them. So, I would not bet on that approach to modernize Russia. So far, if we take the entire Russia's existence, the most successful country modernization was performed by the Soviet communists. So, I would recommend to the Russian government, look at that experience first and try to understand how they manage to do it. And may be borrow something from there ...