According to secret cables released this morning by WikiLeaks, U.S. diplomats consider Russia to be a "virtual mafia state" where police, government, and spies are all working with organized crime networks. Among the particularly "damning" allegations revealed by the leaks: That Russian spies use mafia bosses to carry out money-laundering and racketeering; that law enforcement agencies act as a "de facto protection racket" for criminal gangs; and that "rampant bribery" costs the country $300 billion a year. What will the international fallout be? (Watch a CNN report about WikiLeaks and Russia)
Russia may withdraw even further: This "could make dealing with Russia even more difficult," says Stefan Wagstyl at the Financial Times. Now that the suspicions of U.S. diplomats are out in the open, "alpha dog" Prime Minister Vladimir Putin could decide there's no point "even pretending to be nice." Russians who seek to "engage with the west" will be marginalized.
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