"Siberia's "untamed frontier" has long promised wealth and opportunity for the rest of Russia. Seventy years of Soviet rule, however, transformed that promise into something more akin to a curse. Today, thanks to Soviet economic policies, Russia has a severely distorted economic geography. In particular, a huge portion of modern Russia - cities, factories, and people - lost in the distance and cold of Siberia. Until Russia's leaders come to terms with Siberia's misdevelopment and overdevelopment their efforts to build a competitive market economy are likely to fail" (Quoted from article)