[tx]

His nick implies, at least statistically speaking, that he lives in a informational isolation and has no access to news, unless he knows more than one language [and uses it].

For English speakers the only source of information about international affairs, IMO, is books: Internet and TV are useless. For Daniel I'd recommend "Bad Money" by Kevin Phillips.

[DanielBMarkham]

Aside from my ability or non-ability to speak Russian, I'm curious as to how my nick would imply that I "live in a [sic] informational isolation and has no access to news..."

I'm also looking forward to a book that Amazon touts "In Bad Money, Phillips describes the consequences of our misguided economic policies, our mounting debt, our collapsing housing market, our threatened oil, and the end of American domination of world markets. America’s current challenges (and failures) run striking parallels to the decline of previous leading world economic powers—especially the Dutch and British. Global overreach, worn-out politics, excessive debt, and exhausted energy regimes are all chilling signals that the United States is crumbling as the world superpower."

Gee. Must be quite the fun guy to run into at parties.

I'm not going to get into Russian corruption and associated risk involved with investing there. I'll let the world markets make those calls. I stand by my original comment until persuaded otherwise, and statistical analysis of my nick ain't cutting the mustard, gentlemen.

[tx]

Daniel, the stories regarding Russian corruption are greatly exaggerated in US media [which, of course, doesn't mean there isn't any]. The book by Phillips explains why: this isn't about anti-Russian/anti-American politics, there are real and valid business reasons behind this.

Also, do not dismiss Phillips as "one of those" authors. Far from it.

Following your logic we shouldn't be building factories in China (because they're commies) and we shouldn't be investing in Iraq (because they're crazy Muslims).

American economy, and the super-power status that comes with it, had been built on two things: exploration of oil as a new energy medium and devastating world wars in Europe that crippled competitors, namely UK. But we aren't #1 oil producer anymore, soon we won't be #2 as well, meanwhile the world oil production has stopped growing 2 years ago, thus we need something else.

We've tried at least one "new thing", look at our attempt to become the center of world's finance, but failed. Why not become the global dominating power at computation and information processing? Why not take advantage of American universities, cheap Russian electricity, whatever it takes, to find something, besides oil and finance, to power US economy for years to come?

[Caligula]

Rather than responding with a request to read a book, you provide an answer based on it?

Russia nationalized Yukos. The argument that the prices were too low are silly. It was over a decade ago when resources in the former USSR were priced low. Things like this happen after governments fall.

Daniel was just saying that there was an element of risk that makes investors afraid when countries nationalize sectors of their economies.

[osipov]

>Aside from my ability or non-ability to speak Russian

No one was questioning your ability to speak Russian. The issue in question was your awareness of the reality as it exists outside of the lens of the corporate media.

>I stand by my original comment until persuaded otherwise

That's your prerogative but as we've pointed out you are wrong and appear to be biased.