The reality is that there is a fantastic wealth of technology and raw materials that could put Russia on a par with China in supplying the US and other countries with exports, but there are two problems:

• First, Russians have absolutely no confidence in their own ability to compete in most areas. They are the opposite of Americans, who usually have a grossly inflated opinion of themselves. Both nations need a giant reality check.
• Perhaps worse, though is that Russians are very poor at communication, organization and marketing. It is part of the culture and nearly impossible to fix. I struggled with this in Russian companies and employees at every level seemed to find communication for the sake of coordinating team efforts almost physically painful.

The sort of communication that any German would take for granted as normal protocol is totally alien. If Russian schools could teach that and instill some pride in the next generation, the nation would become a force to be reckoned with in the world within 25–30 years, but that would require faith in the country and long term planning, which are the two very things that are absent, sadly.