Synopses & Reviews
The ascension of Vladimir Putin--a former lieutenant colonel of the KGB--to the presidency of Russia in 1999 should have been a signal that the country was headed away from democracy. Yet in the intervening years--as America and the world's other leading powers have continued to appease him--Putin has grown not only into a dictator but a global threat. With his vast resources and nuclear weapons, Putin is at the center of a worldwide assault on political liberty.
For Garry Kasparov, none of this is news. He has been a vocal critic of Putin for over a decade, even leading the pro-democracy opposition to him in the farcical 2008 Presidential election. Yet years of seeing his Cassandra-like prophecies about Putin's intentions fulfilled have left Kasparov with the realization of a darker truth: Putin's Russia, like ISIS or Al Qaeda, defines itself in opposition to the free countries of the world. He is still fighting the Cold War, even as Americans have first moved beyond it, and over time, forgotten its lessons.
Lest we be drawn into another prolonged conflict, Kasparov now urges a forceful stand--diplomatic and economic--against him. For as long as the world's powerful democracies continue to recognize and negotiate with Putin, he can maintain credibility in his home country. He faces few strong enemies within his country, so meaningful opposition must come from abroad.
Argued with the force of Kasparov's world-class intelligence, conviction, and hopes for his home country, Winter is Coming is an unmistakable call to action against a threat we've ignored for too long.
Review
and#147;It's always important to read Garry Kasparov, who warned the dangers of Putinism long before so many others. He is that rare thing: A Russian democrat who is realistic about his country, but remains hopeful for the future.and#8221;and#151;
Anne Applebaum, author of Gulag and Iron Curtain, winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Nonfictionand#147;Garry Kasparov has the information-processing capacity of a supercomputer and the eloquence of an extraordinary orator. It takes a mind and a heart like his to analyze the last 25 years of the history of Russia in the world and emerge with not only an indictment of Western complicity but a clear call for Western action. Required reading for anyone planning to run in, work on, or vote in the 2016 presidential campaign.and#8221; and#151;Masha Gessen, author of The Man Without a Face: The Unlikely Rise of Vladimir Putin and Words Will Break Cement: The Passion of Pussy Riot
and#147;Garry Kasparov has written a passionate indictment both of Russia's kleptocracy and the complacency of Western democracies in the face of Putin. This threat has become our central foreign policy challenge, and Kasparov's arguments are essential in understanding how to face it.and#8221; and#151;Francis Fukuyama, Stanford University
and#147;As one of the most influential critics of Vladimir Putin's reign of terror, Garry Kasparov has become a champion for the causes of freedom, democracy and human rights in Russia and fights every day to provide a strong and powerful voice for those who cannot speak up for themselves.and#8221; and#150;United States Senator John McCain
and#147;Garry Kasparov is a mastermind in chess and politics, and he understands the evil of the Putin regime better than anyone. This book is a clear and accurate observation of the mess we are in due to the Westand#8217;s inaction towards Putin, and a stark warning of what will happen if we fail to act in the future. It should be required reading for every head of state and their electorate.and#8221;and#151;Bill Browder, author of Red Notice
Synopsis
The stunning story of Russia s slide back into a dictatorshipand how the West is now paying the price for allowing it to happen.
The ascension of Vladimir Putina former lieutenant colonel of the KGBto the presidency of Russia in 1999 was a strong signal that the country was headed away from democracy. Yet in the intervening yearsas America and the world s other leading powers have continued to appease himPutin has grown not only into a dictator but an internationalthreat. With his vast resources and nuclear arsenal, Putin is at the center of a worldwide assault on political liberty and the modern world order.
For Garry Kasparov, none of this is news. He has been a vocal critic of Putin for over a decade, even leading the pro-democracy opposition to him in the farcical 2008 presidential election. Yet years of seeing his Cassandra-like prophecies about Putin s intentions fulfilled have left Kasparov with a darker truth: Putin s Russia, like ISIS or Al Qaeda, defines itself in opposition to the free countries of the world.
As Putin has grown ever more powerful, the threat he poses has grown from local to regional and finally to global. In this urgent book, Kasparov shows that the collapse of the Soviet Union was not an endpointonly a change of seasons, as the Cold War melted into a new spring. But now, after years of complacency and poor judgment, winter is once again upon us.
Argued with the force of Kasparov s world-class intelligence, conviction, and hopes for his home country, Winter Is Coming reveals Putin for what he is: an existential danger hiding in plain sight."
About the Author
Garry Kasparov spent twenty years as the world's #1 ranked chess player. In 2005, he retired from professional chess to lead the pro-democracy opposition against Vladimir Putin, and ran for the presidency of Russia in 2008. In 2012, he was named Chairman of the Human Rights Foundation, succeeding Vand#225;clav Havel. He has been a contributing editor to
The Wall Street Journal since 1991, and his 2007 book,
How Life Imitates Chess has been published in twenty-six languages. He lives in self-imposed exile in New York with his wife, Dasha.