The organizers of the Russian Economic Forum in London never thought that the Kremlin would sanction their high-profile event.
The main strength of the economic policy of corrupt dirigisme is its perfect compatibility with the confrontational turn in Russia’s foreign policy marked by Putin’s “Munich” speech in February. Rejection of Western democratic norms and “recipes,” exemplified by the massive brutal attacks on the opposition rallies in Moscow and St. Petersburg last week, goes hand-in-hand with enforcement of anti-market rules for doing business in Russia.
