Unprejudiced analysis brings us to the conclusion that Russia does not have many choices concerning its immediate economic future. Let us hope that Soviet-style "autarky" is out of the question.
Cooperation with the European Union provokes much attention, but as long as the ill-designed concept and, in many ways, suspicious practices of "sovereign democracy" remain at the core of Russia's social and political order, not much can be expected to happen in the "western" direction. It seems that the most promising and, so far, quite realistic perspective may be connected with the "eastern" direction and the idea of a truly multinational mega-project aimed at the recolonization of Siberia and the Russian Far East. Such a large-scale long-term venture should be collectively realized under Moscow's aegis by people from several neighboring and even far-away countries.
Considering such a paramount development scheme, we have to try to evaluate eventual approaches to it, both in Russia and in other countries which may get involved.