Overview

Two journalists for The Washington Post examine modern-day Russia, assessing the ways in which Vladimir Putin and his former KGB associates have shaped the country and threatened Russia's chances for long-term democracy.

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A bombshell of a book which makes clear why Putin's regime -- though successful in conning Bush -- does not have a bright future. -- Zbigniew Brzezinski, national security adviser to President Carter A superb portrait of Putin's Russia by two reporters with an eye for the telling detail, an ear for the subtext of Russian life, and balanced, probing judgments about one of the most important dramas of our time. --Strobe Talbott, President, Brookings Institution Here is the first great book on the new Russia, as fresh as this morning's headlines and great fun to read. Baker and Glasser have cracked the code -- they explain Putin's Russia in terms any intelligent reader can understand. It is a grim story, told in vivid detail with great narrative skill. If Vladimir Putin uses his newly acquired English-language skills to read this book, he won't like it. But readers curious about what has happened to the country we once considered our most important rival won't want to put it down. -- Robert G. Kaiser, author of Russia: The People and the Power and Why Gorbachev Happened Peter Baker and Susan Glasser have achieved something very unusual: They have given clarity and coherence to the confusing and contradictory story of Putin's Russia. Cutting through propaganda and conventional wisdom, they examine everything from terrorism to pop music in order to paint an uncannily precise portrait of contemporary Russian society. -- Anne Applebaum, author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning Gulag: A History The latest chapter in the epic story of Russia is superbly told in Kremlin Rising. Baker and Glasser's assessment of Vladimir Putin's leadership is especially vivid and scathing in its portrayal of his antidemocratic instincts. -- Peter Osnos, publisher and CEO of PublicAffairs Books and former Washington Post Moscow correspondent This devastating indictment of Vladimir Putin will remove the blinders from anyone who stills sees post-communist Russia as moving toward democracy. Baker and Glasser trace Putin's moves to turn back the revolution and restore authoritarian rule. Most distressingly, they claim he has the support of Russia's majority who prefer firm control to chaos. Using lies and various forms of manipulation, Putin has gone after all sources of opposition - the independent media, local governors, national legislators and the oligarchs who helped his rise to power. Dissidents who once fought Soviet power have been marginalized in their efforts to call attention to these excesses and to the tens of thousands of casualties of the war against Chechnya. This is compelling reading, a timely and important book. --Jeri Laber, a founder of Human Rights Watch, author of The Courage of Strangers: Coming of Age with the Human Rights Movement.

This devastating indictment of Vladimir Putin will remove the blinders from anyone who stills sees post-communist Russia as moving toward democracy. Baker and Glasser trace Putin's moves to turn back the revolution and restore authoritarian rule. Most distressingly, they claim he has the support of Russia's majority who prefer firm control to chaos. Using lies and various forms of manipulation, Putin has gone after all sources of opposition - the independent media, local governors, national legislators and the oligarchs who helped his rise to power. Dissidents who once fought Soviet power have been marginalized in their efforts to call attention to these excesses and to the tens of thousands of casualties of the war against Chechnya. This is compelling reading, a timely and important book. <p>--Jeri Laber, a founder of Human Rights Watch, author of The Courage of Strangers: Coming of Age with the Human Rights Movement.

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