When Vladimir Putin became President, Russia was effectively bankrupt as it owed more money to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) than it had in foreign currency reserves. Since then, Russia has achieved a virtual macroeconomic revolution to the point where it is one of the largest creditors of U.S. debt in the world. Its nominal dollar GDP has increased by more than a factor of six, and has the potential to reach more than $2 trillion by 2010. Russia would become the largest economy in Europe and the fifth largest in the world following the United States, China, Japan, and India by 2020 if goals would have been achieved.......