Have been reading all these diverse and insightful comments with interest. This is what make this listing so unique... Didn't Russia practice slavery in the Caucasus region, which was ended by the Czar in the 1860s or 1870s (after seeing the events back in America)? Wasn't slavery also stopped by Islamists in Central Asia in the 1870s? What are the best sources for this particular topic? As for immoral stances (besides slavery), there are other examples. Right now, we have our tobacco industry promoting cigarettes overseas while we receive the opposite message in this country. Ah, so much for human nature...