Mark Whitehouse, Columnist

Why Putin’s Russia Can’t Grow

He’s spent 18 years undermining what the country needs most: rule of law.

August 29, 2018 at 11:00 AM UTC

Mark Whitehouse is a member of the editorial board covering global economics and finance. Previously, he reported on economics for the Wall Street Journal and was managing editor of Vedomosti, a Russian-language business daily.

Guilty until found guilty.
Photographer: Oxana Onipko/AFP/Getty Images

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Russia has been a lot of things over the past century: the crucible of Communism, an “evil empire,” an experiment in market economics, an international pariah.

Now, as he settles into his final constitutional term as president, Vladimir Putin must decide what Russia will be next — and the options aren’t great.