COMMENT Russia has never been big on adopting international standards. While most of Europe had brought in the Gregorian calendar by the end of the 18th century, it took Russia until after the Bolshevik revolution of 1917 to fall into line.
But since last month’s Georgian crisis, Moscow has taken a string of actions that look to many like a deliberate abrogation of international economic rules. In quick succession, it held up streams of Turkish trucks at customs posts, announced it would suspend commitments made as part of its application to join the World Trade Organisation, banned poultry imports from 19 American companies and declared it would “review” the trade privileges it currently extends to Ukraine.
