Russia Split over Free-Market Capitalism, Authoritarian Rule

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During the regime of Boris Yeltsin, a few Russian businessmen picked up formerly state-owned assets for a fraction of their real value. Mikhail Khodorkovsky got the Yukos Oil Company and parlayed it into a fortune worth $8 billion. Now, Russia-s richest -oligarch- is behind bars, but says he might challenge President Vladamir Putin in next year-s elections. Putin-s Kremlin is divided over what impact the oil billionaire-s imprisonment might have on the nation-s economy and foreign investment. Is Russia returning to totalitarian rule, or is crony capitalism getting just what it deserves? With Russia becoming dominant in oil and natural gas, we join Russia and energy experts, including a senior technical advisor to Yukos Oil, for a look at a country that could have a lot to say about America-s future.
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President Bush's disaster declaration

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Warren Olney