What does it take for established western companies to abandon a market of ~150 million people? Could Russia survive the withdrawal of, for example, IKEA*?

I was under the impression that Medvyedev’s central policy of his Presidency was to clean up corruption, institutional and ‘other’ so as to keep the $$$ rolling in? Won’t the relevant ’success’ of this policy be the prime factor in staying or going for foreign businesses? Cunningly, I read that Russia is making major inroads into Libya: http://www.bbj.hu/news/news_38541_russia%2Blibya%2Bseal%2Bdebt%2Baccord%2Bplan%2Barms%2Bdeals%2B-%2Bupdate.html
though I wonder what impact the recently annouced reparations by Italy will have on this: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7589557.stm

*Which in itself is a dastardly swedish plot to take out the Russian carpentry economy

(It’s hard to be believe that in the era of virtual reality and the internet some people rudely insist on dropping by in person!).

I’ll rewrite something later, but it will be briefer.

For instance?

Ivanov, I don’t dispute that the Russian Army prevented looting. From what I read, though, it was not done soon enough. One of the first mistakes was not make it perfectly clear to the Osseitian, Chechen and Cossack irregulars that from day one there will be zero tolerance for looting. If any of those pillagers decide to shoot, treat them hostile enemy soldiers and court martial any captured irregulars.

Kolya.
As military man to military man.

1. Could you please make yourself more accurate. What day – by your order – should be “day one”?

2. Do you have experience in mountains warfare?

I don’t know what you were taught at your drills but believe me – IT WAS IMPOSSIBLE. At that place, at that time and with that forces Russia had. It’s easy to draw red and blue lines on the map and play clever strategy. It’s a little bit more difficult to follow these lines on the ground.

PS. I have accounts from the guys who WERE there, on the ground. And I know the situation with our troops – I mean how they are “trained” and “equipped”. And I’m really surprised by their performance (not that much as Georgians and their US, French and other instructors though )

Plus, Tim speaks truth.

The Ossetians, Chechens, and Cossacks, being premodern peoples, are fighting the old-fashioned, premodern way as was done of olde. Homer would be proud. Whoever heard of an ethnic conflict without looting?

Kolya, I respect the fact that you have military experience, but briefing irregular forces on intolerance for looting is like briefing politicians on intolerance for insincerity.

Candide, for a disciplined army large scale looting is actually not that hard to stop. Does that mean that there will be some casualties? Yes, but pillagers are interested in pillaging, not in risking their lives by fighting against disciplined forces. Pillagers are not patriotic insurgents–they’ll disperse rather quickly. History, of course, is replete with examples of pillage, burning and looting. But there are many examples in which victorious armies prevented most pillaging and looting. In other words, I’m not being a naive arm chair soldier. It can be done and it has been done MANY times.

The presence of wide scale pillaging usually means that either (1) the victorious forces are tolerant of such “tradition” and sort of turn a blind eye to it, (2) commanders purposefully let it happen for the sake or revenge or to terrorize the vanquished population, or (3) the forces consist of a undisciplined troops with weak leadership.

Anytime anywhere the army is called to stop the civilian unrest, the picture is always the same: army units marching, taking positions and firing on crowds of civilians, picking up arms, marching and firing, again and again… Is that what you wanted to see in Baghdad or Tskhinvali?

To give a perspective, South Ossetia population is 100,000 and Baghdad is 7,000,000.