Inside Putin's Russia: Can There Be Reform without Democracy?

by Andrew Jack

Written by Andrew Jack, the Moscow Bureau Chief of the Financial Times , here is a revealing look at the meteoric rise of Vladimir Putin and his first term as president of Russia.
Drawing on interviews with Putin himself, and with a number of the country's leading figures, as well as many ordinary Russians, Jack describes how the former KGB official emerged from the shadows of the Soviet secret police and lowly government jobs to become the most powerful man in Russia.
The author shows how Putin has defied domestic and foreign expectations, presiding over a period of strong economic growth, significant restructuring, and rising international prestige. Yet Putin himself remains a man of mystery and contradictions. Personally, he is the opposite of Boris Yeltsin. A
former judo champion, he is abstemious, healthy, and energetic, but also evasive, secretive, and cautious. Politically, he has pursued a predominantly pro-western foreign policy and liberal economic reforms, but has pursued a hardline war in Chechnya and introduced tighter controls over parliament
and the media and his opponents, moves which are reminiscent of the Soviet era. Through it all, Putin has united Russian society and maintained extraordinarily high popularity. Jack concludes that Putin's "liberal authoritarianism" may be unpalatable to the West, but is probably the best that Russia
can do at this point in her history.
Inside Putin's Russia digs behind the rumors and speculation, illuminating Putin's character and the changing nature of the Russia he rules. Andrew Jack sheds light on Putin's thinking, style and effectiveness as president. With Putin's second term just beginning, this invaluable book offers
important insights for anyone interested in the past, present, and future of Russia.

Genres: Russia, Politics, Political Science, Nonfiction

Hardcover

First published October 22, 2004

Reviews

[Velika · Rating 2 out of 5]

A thick and very detailed, somewhat interesting, often stale account of Putin's rise. I got a fair bit out of the section about the Chechen/Russia concflict and the way the government, mostly Putin (seeing as the book was all about him and his ideas) went about that, and there were some other interesting stories about how the immense privitisation worked after the USSR. Then it got bogged down in a fairly wordy, repeatative and confusing detail in describing the so called 'rise of the Oligarchs' and how the government was going about influencing or controlling the media. It was also a bit too full of the usual stereotypes people trot out about the 'Russian people' and what they like in their leaders (being ruled by an iron fist it would seem...can't get enough of it) which were offensive. Before I got any further I realised the book was very overdue and I wasn't so interested in finishing it. 2 stars.

[Denise DeRocher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent overall - better know some Russian history, politics as well as its economic structures before and after the Fall (so to speak). I taught a class called The USSR: History and Politics back in the Dark Ages, so was well prepared for this read.

[Chloe]

3.5 - quite good. However overly broad. Could have drawn a better comparison between Putin and De Gaulle (it was apparent that it was missing). Definitely knows his stuff, but also shows his Western bias through his choice of language