Region to Watch - Russia
Edited by David Barth, 7 December 2008
from page 163 of the October 2008 issue of Wired, review of international issues
in a book by Parag Khanna, "The Second World - Empires and Influence in the New World Order."
Key approach: Overrated.
On the surface, Russia appears to be a powerhouse. It ranks second only to the U.S. in number of billionaires. But the
country is in democratic free-fall. It has alarming rates of tuberculosis and other health problems.