The legal system is a touch we feel, and an area we feel how our state is towards us. In terms of law, it is absolutely correct corruption is rampant, lower courts are basically knocking out decisions based on personal preferences or cash. Don't get me wrong I have seen it improve vastly, it is quite sobbering when an advocate who has been bribing on a Friday, is told on Monday by a different judge that try that again and you will be in prison. So it is a mixed bag, obviously everyone wants to tar everything with the same brush, for political reasons, but it isn't like that. Like a lot of legal systems, the higher the courts, the more normal they are. But we need to get right the point of first instance and the process that leads to that, including the initial contact with police. So smoking out this interface would be my priority, as it is what people feel, get the police right through pay, quality of individuals, monitoring, and testing, then get the courts of first instance the same through similar tactics. Fix what we feel, not what we don't! Yes fix everything top down as well, it is needed, but the bottom is the priority, if this was right I wouldn't need to be addressing the higher levels, so this would fix lots in percentage terms. I know this process is underway, so let's see the results. Once you fix this both for criminal cases and civil ones, showing real property rights are preserved, and someone isn't saying sign over your company and we can stop the process, then I think you have it. Lots more to say about investigation and narrow application of law, but that's for another day. These are all used as tools to secure wealth illegitimately from other individuals. That is why we start to limit when an investigation can be undertaken and its effects on ruining a person or company, just in the process of investigation. Don't get me wrong this all happens in the west, it is just more targeted and less visible.

It takes a lot to change a culture, and I think the government is making the right steps to clean up corruption at all levels of society. Whether the steps are large enough or big enough can be argued, but even Western media grudgingly admits Medvedev is trying to do something. It is still early to say how successful the anti-corruption or even modernization program are going to be.

It's worth remembering that the more other countries criticize Russia, and it's growth, the more it's apparent that the process of renewal is succeeding, however slowly or quickly. The last thing most of Russia's critics want is a strong democratic Russia, with great societal fundamentals, including the ever decreasing levels of corruption. Their own national populations will start getting restless, if they see the grass is greener over here, and they observe russian citizens and residents enjoying an ever improving standard of living. There's still some way to go in the first stage of the democratic project, but it's noticeable now that the wild excesses of the 90's (i.e. western driven capitalism) are being cast aside in a more balanced societal movement that rejects the worst of other societies, and is evolving into a unique russian mix of culture and modernity. I share Count's view that the basics still need more work. The rights of individuals to own land, and hold it, with the protection of solid law, applicable to all equally, is essential to strengthen the prospect of a willing partnership between citizens and their politicians. Look more closely in other countries and it's often the case that their citizens fare no better. It's just more cleverly presented as "progress", particularly in those countries for whom capitalism, with its dreadfully inhuman "succeed or die" mantra, holds so much weight in the minds of the citizens. Russians have flirted with unfettered capitalism presented as democracy, and seem to be bored with the concept. The slavic pragmatism and sense of identity is stronger than most would think. I also think reducing the numbers of militsia and public servants, but significantly increasing the salaries, and correspondingly the fines for corruption, would go a long way towards reducing that corruption, but improve the perceived value of the job, and the desire to hang on to that job with more efficient and pleasant customer service.

Modernization is a common sense thing. I don't even understand why they make this statement. What politician would survive not modernizing infrastructure? What politician would survive letting advancements pass by, such as a hypothetical new fuel. However, this should never been done over one's own cultural identity and sell out the nation's own industry. Something this government is gladly doing. Mega corportions that recognize no borders come and go and will only give temperary benfits to a nation. A lot like the mega food giants actually destroy the nations they go in by creating health issues. Popular culture from Western Television is pushed over one's own national identity. It isn't healthy. This is stating the obvious, but the way it is actually practiced isn't always to the benefit of the people, but the select few who reap all the money at the top.

@Alex Stone Well said! Very good point about other countries fairing not better, or worse, but manipulating data, or blatantly self-promoting themselves so it seems there is progress. Also, good point about ruthless system, predominant in the US and some other western countries where people must achieve what is considered "success" at any cost. It used to be called the "American dream", which now is turning into the American nightmare. People often achieve success here at the detriment of their own soul. Having lived in the US I can say that it's a very uncomfortable, unwelcoming, lupsided society to live in. Not to mention, mortally boring, because you can't even have a meaningful converation with anyone - they are always so immersed in their own problems. It's like an ever consuming drug. And life, meanwhile slips away. Most Americans don't live, they barely exist. Russia is a much more humane society to live in, not to mention, a much more interesting, and that's despite having gone through the terrible experience of the 90s. Perhaps not everything is under control over there yet, but progress is tremendous. Russia feels like home today, and it's gonna get even better with every year!

@Alex Stone. Well said indeed. All except for the very last phrase about customer service. Not gonna happen anytime soon. @Artyom - if you can't see any benefits from foreign presence in Russia, you must believe that everything is fine the way it is. The customer service principle is proof that it isn't. Every day, I see people being genuinely horrible to each other. Sorry, Larissa - there's no way I can see that it's a "much more humane society". Human, perhaps.

Roger, I strongly disagree. One I don't think things are better the way they are now. However, the foreign companies are still staffed by Russians who follow the same customer services as local varients. The point of having these Mega Corporations is for instant cash flows and most wealth is syphoned out of the country. It is vast ignorance people have come to believe that one needs a foreign firm to bring modernization to a country by taking the space of local markets. The only reason it is done is quick profits and no need to support development. It is a short term fix that does nothing for a nation. US is becoming fine example with Mega Corporations fleeing the American homelands to find cheaper labor. I don't support consumption of these products. Those that do, I believe need to be tariffed to protect local markets. And Russia is a much more humane society as they still know their neighbors unlike America. I lived in the US 20 years. Larisa's comment holds true, but Moscow is Westernizing at a fast rate. Moscow is a mix between New York and Hollywood in terms of the personality of Muscovites, make sense as Moscow is the landing zone of all that is Western.

Artyom, Evidently, the Russia's orientation now is focused on being attractive to foreign investors. The big investors presumably have been pre-selected already and on their way to 'help' themselves in accordance with 'helping' Russia. There is nothing wrong with that if they have been invited; complaining afterwards that they have brought their businesses not universally appealing to everyone is pointless, unless there are people in Russia that still believe in a purse of foreign cash with no strings attached. The real disadvantage for domestic/national companies will come much later if they succeed to outperform their rivals. Watch out for hostile takeovers to fully understand how real damage could be done to your country's national pride. Larisa, The people that you don't regard highly for their determination to succeed are not only originated from America and other Western countries. A great deal of Russians I've met on holidays worldwide are exactly like that. Generally very ambitious people with very high expectations for their children. Every parent is willing to 'invest' in their "rebyonok" by all financial means available to them. No one is under illusion that the state education is adequate enough to be successful in modern Russia. The most desirable degrees on their wish list are those that will bring only greater financial rewards.

Svetlana, you should read more carefully other people's writings before jumping to conclusions. You obviously don't understand what life in the US is all about. Determination to succeed is admirable and is a part of most normal people's psyche. I have deep respect for truly successful people, in fact I am one of them. What I "don't regard highly" is the system that exists in the US, which enslaves people, making them dull and one-sided. The rest of the world rightly considers Americans as workaholics, who don't know how to have fun and who sucrifice their hapiness, family, etc, for the sake of their work. Having observed social and business life in different countries I can tell you that no other country has it that bad. In Russia and many other countries people actually know how to have fun, whether they are successful or not. Although tendency to copy US zombie-like workaholic lifestyle is growing everywhere from China to S.Korea, to India, to Russia. Let's hope Russians don't lose their ability to have fun and be true to themselves, no matter how modernized they become.

Some great constructivism here, Some good themes coming out. like humane, customer service and success. For my part, I think this world struggles today as a direct result of easy labels, great generalisations, stereotypes... The reason I think is that the media has learn't that this is all that is needed to feed people's minds to get the desired response. Detail, complexity and analysis have been replaced by slogan, catch phrase.... So look at the humane levels in Russia, if you actually define them as they are, and remove the othogonal at times socially hard interaction that people witness. Well you will find quite a high level of humane actions, be that in caring for animals, family or people on the street; yes there are exceptions, but there are anywhere. But on the whole people feel people here, it is a hard life for many, but that has actually helped preserve the humaity in itself. People often see the harsh interactions of people here, sometimes they mis understand the tone and levels in the language, other times when actual harsh interaction is taking place, they do not understand that it is a fend for yourself environment. So you look after yourself. Now in reality the way to fix this, is to reduce the severity of need to fight for survival. This can be done by increasing wealth by increased realiseable opportunity (lots of meat around so why fight), or just redistribute the wealth like an EU zoo (the meat truck arives at feeding time, that has been taken from the good hunters under force) - So my view is this will aytomatically improve with increases individual wealth. Customer service is part of this interaction, but here we need more detail, the real problem is in the reaction between government agencies and the citizen. This to me is poor, but is driven by different motives, not of wealth but the old 'power corrupts'. See in an environment of strong authority, don't be surprised if those staff mimic it for their egos.

Larisa, Now I like your phrase "I have deep respect for truly successful people" - now at the risk of reading this wrong, I think what you are saying is you respect people who obtain success legitimately. This to me is some great detail. Because I also have a completely different view of someone who has worked all their life and has life savings, or has started a company and it has grown... compared to another class who say have put individuals in misery through deliberately mismanaged credit or collapsed currencies, or corrupt government contracts, or through pure finacial manipulation unlinked to human activities and betterment. I judge sucees by the financial reward gated by the trajectory to get there. So if you are dealing in drugs, or are a manipulative banker, you are no success to me. The problem is that success is only evealuated today in narrow finacial terms, success is simply being financially rich, regardless of how morally bankrupt you are. This type of 'richness' is not richness at all, but simply theft. It either steals from other individuals now, or steals from subsequent generations later, either by direct financial means or derivative environmental factors. Redistribution and creation of welath are two different things, the first is theft, the second is global improvement that rewards the individual through individual wealth. I am proud to be an industrailist who uses pure capitalism as part of finacing. But I would never be a pure capitalist, unconnected to reality and global improvemnt, for that is a criminal. Money isn't everything! Where are the western police these days! Oh I forgot, they are making sure the low level criminals are made law abiding, whilst the big criminals, who pay them, are protected. See the west just needs more police and jails as wealth is redistributed to the big time criminals. To keep the ordinary people in line - the western Police state, coming to an area near you soon!