I. Introduction
"If you do business in Russia, you will lose all of your money, because your Russian business partner will steal it from you, because he or she is a thief. And you will die, because the Russian mafia will murder you in your hotel bedroom when you visit Moscow or St. Petersburg."
-Daniel Thorinley [1] at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.
The above quote seems to reflect the Wall Street Journal and CNN view of conducting business in Russia, who repeatedly caution their readers and viewers about investing in Russia's emerging markets.
According to Dr. Daniel Thorniley, Senior Vice President of the Economist Group, [2] an organization providing analysis on international business and world affairs, this view is unequivocally wrong. [3] He cites business success in Russia as the world’s best kept business secret. Yet this economic giant is largely being ignored