Synopses & Reviews
There is no question that tensions between Russia and American are on the rise. The forced annexation of Crimea, the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight 17, and the Russian governments treatment of homosexuals have created diplomatic standoffs and led to a volley of economic sanctions. Much of the blame for Russia's recent hostility towards the West has fallen on steely-eyed President Vladimir Putin and Americans have begun to wonder if they are witnessing the rebirth of Cold War-style dictatorship.
Not so fast, argues veteran historian Walter Laqueur.
For two decades, Laqueur has been ahead of the curve, predicting events in post-Soviet Russia with uncanny accuracy. In Putinism, he deftly demonstrates how three long-standing pillars of Russian ideology: a strong belief in the Orthodox Church, a sense of Eurasian “manifest destiny” and a fear of foreign enemies, continue to exert a powerful influence on the Russian populous. In fact, today's Russians have more in common with their counterparts from 1904 than 1954 and Putin is much more a servant of his people than we might think.
Topical and provocative, Putinism contains much more than historical analysis. Looking to the future, Laqueur explains how America's tendency to see Russia as a Cold War relic is dangerous and premature. As the situation in Ukraine has already demonstrated, Russia can and will challenge the West and it is in our best interest to figure out exactly who it is we are facing—and what they want—before it is too late.
Review
Praise for RUSSIA AND GERMANY: A Century of Conflict by Walter Laqueur: "Laqueur's study is the best we have of an extremely important segment of contemporary history."—Klaus Epstein,
Modern Age"I have seen no better treatment in so short a space."—Hugh Seton-Watson, The Spectator
"Brilliant...one of the five outstanding books of the year on international relations."—Quincy Howe, New York Times
"Laqueur has produced an illuminating and fascinating account of a little-known area in Russian-German relations based on a wide range of published and unpublished materials. He writes with commendable detachment, yet with critical, sophisticated judgment, in a fresh, lucid style."—American Historical Review
Synopsis
A timely, topical book grounding Russia's recent turn towards conservativism in pre-1917 culture and explaining what this shift could mean for the rest of the world.
About the Author
WALTER LAQUEUR was the director of the Institute of Contemporary History in London for 30 years. Concurrently, he served as chairman of the International Research Council of CSIS in Washington, DC. He was also a professor at Georgetown University and is the author of more than 25 books. He has had articles published in THE NEW YORK TIMES, THE WASHINGTON POST, and countless other newspapers worldwide.
Table of Contents
AcknowedgementsPreface
1. The End of the Soviet Era
Perestroika
After Gorbachev
2. Who Rules Russia?
The Oligarchs
The Siloviki
3. Putin and Putinism
4. The Pillars of the New Russian Idea
The Russian Orthodox Church
Leading Thinkers of the Russian Right
Eurasianism
Russian Geopolitics
Confabulation?
5. Stalin and the Fall of the Byzantine Empire
The Fall of an Empire
6. Demography
Russian Islam
Tatarstan
Opposition
7. Foreign Policy and the Petrostate
Russia and the European Radical Right
Russia and China
The Near Abroad
Russian Oil
8. The New National Doctrine
Back to the Roots
The Russian Party under the Soviets
Ivan Ilyin rediscovered
9. Sources of Future Conflicts
Russias identity
The New Russian Empire
Russophobia
The Economic Future
The Face of the Young Generation
Central Asian Conflicts
Epilogue: Kamo gryadeshi--Quo Vadis,Russia?
Bibliography