Under Vladimir Putin’s rule, Russia has reclaimed its position among the superpowers of the world. In the past eight years, the economic recession of the tumultuous 90s is seemingly all but forgotten. Thanks to the country’s abundance of raw materials, such as oil and natural gas, the Russian economy is flourishing as never before. After a mere 18 years of capitalism, the January 2008 issue of Finans Magazine reported that there are currently 101 billionaires in Russia.

It is difficult to detect much prosperity in the book 101 Billionaires, which portrays an entirely different segment of the Russian population.  In this excerpt, Hornstra depicts the impoverished Russians: victims of the ”tough-as-nails” capitalism with which Russia made its name immediately after the fall of communism."  Hornstra’s new book, 101 Billionaires, is available through his website, www.borotov.com.

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In The Fray Contributor