Colton suffers from the same ailment many in today's western academia do. What he is capable of teaching is in today's world not worth learning. Apart from the obvious --- competion, improved legal system, bureaucratic conundrum --- he is not seeing outside the box. And it is not surprising. For example, today most academia, politicians and their critics cannot see that many Western institutions that served well in the past, are part of the problem today. There are people who clearly see and understand the structural dilemmas, but they are mostly not listened to by the powers that be. In Russia's case, one has to look at UNCTAD latest report. While it deals mostly with the problems of undeveloped world, much of the lessons can be learned and applied by anyone. The era of export led growth is over. Countries need to focus on domestic demand, and production closer home. The failed policies of the last 20-30 years have resulted in Africa that is today reminiscent of colonial times, with most of its production in mining and agriculture. Russia likewise cannot modernize by LEGISLATIVE ACTS. Without a major investment in economic development, the chattering classes will continue imagining that their seminars and think-tanks actually have the ability to change the country. Yes, the nimble professor is smart enough not to use the crude tactics of Russia's opposition today, but he is actually saying same things. For him, only the POWER matters, and who is at the top. We are living in a technologically complex world, and our elected officials are lost in it. Until we transition to more professionally managed cities, schools, manufacturing, etc. there will be no improvement. Corruption comes with incompetence on many levels, and no amount of ELECTIONS or LAW CHANGE can fix that. Until city managers are hired as top executives with the experience in the field, pointless talking about corruption. Less talking, more producing.

The Medvedev-Putin tendem may be unique, but that is not the most important point to make about these leaders. Putin is the man who pulled Russia out of the dark ages into which she was thrown and brought dignity and vigor into the Russian leadership. While people who sympathize with Russia welcome this political turn as a blessing--not just for Russia, but the world in general--the enemies of Russia cannot stomach the revolutionary awakening of its people. Putin is a man wholeheartedly dedicated to his country. So is Medvedev. Putin-haters who wanted nothing less than the total destruction of Russia can eat their heart out, because their time is gone forever.

Just look at the example of South Korea. For decades competition has been intra-Korean: Korean cars and Korean companies competing with not much foreign penetration. Once the "chaebols" were formed and had the necessary size to compete globally (Hyunday, Samsung etc) is when they opened their market. In Russia, Alfa Group or Sitronics are examples of a similar kind of conglomerates being formed. Still it is necessary a consolidation in the Russian telecom, banking and oil industries so they reach the necessary size to compete. In Spain also, consolidation was first among Spanish banks or telecom companies. Then there was an expansion to our "near abroad" (Latinamerica) which addes size to Spanish companies like Santander, Telefonica, Repsol, Mapfre, Endesa, BBVA etc. So after consolidation not just intra-Russia but in neighbor countries (Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Serbia etc) Russian companies will be ready to compete globally. In Russia that consolidation already has started. It can be made in five or six years as South Korea and Spain did.

This gar-badge that sees competition as a universal panacea and is for ever banging on about 'open economies' is the rubbish that ruled the Western intellectual roost before the current great economic smash up. Now the country about which American elites are most exorcised is China. And whatever underlay the economic transformation of China it wasn't the existence of competing political parties. But at the official level in the USA theology, economics and politics have merged. Producing a brew that few other states wish to imbibe. What does the professor think? Who cares other than his luckless students.

Well....if that isn't the pot calling the kettle black...Timothy Colton is a complete Cold War hypocrite. Hopefully RT realizes that Colton is probably one of the most vehement anti-Russian propagandists in the US.Colton has formulated much of his attitude towards Russia from the opinions of the new 'X' generation of the Baltic right wing . He himself is a product of the most powerful elitist & insulated ruling class in all the world...the Ivy League . The Ivy League schools of the Northeast have churned out every US president except Ronald Reagan since WWII...All these presidents in spite of their domestic political differences have had one thing in common, they have all been brainwashed to fear any radical social change which might threaten their positions of rank & Influence. Obviously these Ivy League elitists have been dedicated to the eradication of Communism for the last 100 years and in their paranoid state have not separated Russia from that legacy.. Ironically if the American Revolution had occurred today, these Ivy League elitists would have found a way to destroy it.