Putin and the Rise of Russia - Hardcover

Michael St�rmer

3.36

146 ratings by Goodreads

9780297855095: Putin and the Rise of Russia

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0297855093 ISBN 13: 9780297855095

Publisher: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2008

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Not for the first time in the last two centuries, Russia leaves the world wondering about its destiny. In spite of the losses incurred when the Soviet Empire imploded, Russia is still an enormous country of ten time-zones; from Kaliningrad Oblast to Sakhalin, it is a land of vast empty spaces full of promise, with a population of more than 140 million - 15 million of them Muslim - looking at the crescent rising rather than the cross and the stars, suspecting that St George might not be their friend and protector. It is a power with vast military inventories, among them more than 10,000 nuclear weapons in various configurations, an energy giant whose oil reserves will last, at present rates of exploitation, for more than 30 years, and with natural gas for more than 180 years. There is also the old Russian cultural and geopolitical ambiguity between Europe and Asia and the new oscillation between weak elements of democracy and, invariably, strong elements of autocracy. Questions abound as to what constitutes Russia's national interest; especially now, as a result of the conflict in South Ossetia. With Vladimir Putin no longer President, and after several years of rising oil and gas revenues, many Russians fear instability and insecurity. But the outside world, too, keeps wondering what will happen next. It is a defining moment for Russia, with far-reaching implications for the rest of the world. Professor Stuermer has observed at close quarters the former President as he steered his country out of the chaos of the post-Yeltsin years. His account is both authoritative and timely, and considers the future for a country striving to be, once again, a great power with global reach.

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About the Author:

Michael Stuermer is professor of history at the University of Erlangen-Nurnberg. He has been a visiting professor at Harvard, the Institute of Advanced Study at Princeton, the Sorbonne, the University of Toronto and the Institute for Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University. He has written and edited books on various subjects, including Europe and the Middle East.

Review:

'An excellent and important work' LITERARY REVIEW 'As a scholar, author and journalist of long standing, Stuermer has ranged widely. The broader perspective, historical and geographical, that he brings to this period of Russian history is refreshing. Most of all, his book provides a salutary corrective to the transatlantic assumptions underlying so much writing in English, where the West is a monolith on one side opposed to a Russian monolith on the other' -- Mary Dejevsky THE INDEPENDENT 'Michael Stuermer, Die Welt's chief correspondent, has spent years studying, and conversing with, the former KGB officer who has steered Russia's fortunes in the post-Yeltsin years. The result Putin and the Rise of Russia is a priviledged insider's account of the Russian enigma at first hand. It's the best kind of political journalism: history's first draft' -- Robert McCrum THE OBSERVER 'Authoritative, readable and concise' -- Robert Salisbury SPECTATOR 'Stuermer shows great understanding of the history and politics in a country in which secret institutions and state organisations still hold considerable sway. He succeeds in giving the reader a better understanding of how politics in Russia works. EDINBURGH EVENING NEWS 'We are lucky to have a commentator with Stuermer's talents and his distinguished journalistic and academic pedigree in Russian affairs' GLASGOW HERALD 'Anyone concerned about how the bear will respond will find this historically informated account an accessible and stimulating guide' SUNDAY EXPRESS 'Stuermer is a distinguished German political historian and journalist' TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT

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