Viewpoint: Closing the Door

Iosif Kobzon is a famous singer, prosperous businessman and influential member of the Duma. He is known as the Russian Sinatra both for his talent and for his alleged Mafia ties. But he will not be singing in the United States: last month the U.S. embassy in Moscow turned down his visa application for the third time. Oleg Deripaska, head of the giant firm Russian Aluminum, did not attend the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos last week; the group withdrew its invitation after a fellow businessman filed a lawsuit accusing him of bribery and racketeering. Sergei Mikhailov, an...