Description
Book SynopsisGrigory Yavlinsky, a Russian economist and opposition leader, explains his country’s politics from a unique perspective, voicing a Russian liberal critique of the post-Soviet system that is vital for the West to hear. He argues that Putin is as much a product of the system as its creator.
Trade ReviewThe Putin System shows how far from the path to a market-based democracy the country has deviated. It provides one of the most penetrating, if bleak, analyses of the Russian system of recent years. . . . Those seeking to understand today’s Russia have much to gain from the English translation. -- Neil Buckley * Financial Times *
Too insightful not to take notice. -- JP O'Malley * The Globe and Mail *
A much-needed insider view from an important political figure and reform economist. -- Jack F. Matlock Jr., U.S. ambassador to the Soviet Union (1987–1991) and author of
Reagan and Gorbachev: How the Cold War Ended[
The Putin System] is recommended as an assessment of Russia's political and economic system by an opposition leader. Moreover, while Yavlinsky's analysis is deeply pessimistic, his continued participation in politics reflects, by implication, a degree of optimism over the potential for change. * Choice *
Grigory Yavlinsky, a democratic opposition politician in Russia who has run against both Yeltsin and Putin for president, presents a compelling view of the origins and development of the Putin system. -- Steven Simon * Survival *
Grigory Yavlinsky’s book is of great importance. He gives us a clear-eyed diagnosis of Putinism, a phenomenon that exacerbates the crisis in democracy and casts a shadow over the world order in the twenty-first century. He also reminds us that Russia has brave, determined reformers who have on their side logic, principles, and lessons from the past and present that will guide their remedies for the future. -- Strobe Talbott, Brookings Institution
Grigory Yavlinsky is one of the most acute, brilliant observers of and actors in contemporary Russian life, politics, and history.
The Putin System makes a uniquely valuable contribution to understanding the Putin phenomenon in all its visible and invisible aspects—and why the West must pay attention. -- Jonathan Brent, author of
Inside the Stalin Archives: Discovering the New RussiaYavlinsky’s carefully crafted and cohesively written arguments make
The Putin System an analytically strong and thought-provoking source about the Putin regime. * New Eastern Europe *
Russia’s decline, according to Yavlinsky, owes not to the scheming of one individual but to a systemic failure, namely, the lack of political competition in the Russian Federation. * Lossi 36 *
A significant analysis by an experienced politician, figure of the Russian opposition, and academic economist. . . . The volume will reward the attention not only of specialists in international affairs and comparative politics but also of interested citizens. * Terrorism and Political Violence *
An invaluable work from an insider/outsider who does not underestimate the scale of the problems which yielded Putin as the answer. In this respect, it is far from being a simplistic account of good and evil. * The European Legacy *
The Putin System could lead to a greater understanding of a country that, to many at the moment, appears increasingly incomprehensible. * Rights in Russia *
Table of ContentsPreface to the English Translation
Acknowledgments
1. The Political System of Putin’s Russia and Its Significance for World Affairs
2. Russia Today: The History of How and Why It Came to Be
3. Authoritarianism on the Periphery: Understanding Russia’s Political System and How It Works
4. The Future of Autocracy in Russia: What Do We Have to Tolerate (and for How Long)?
5. In Lieu of a Conclusion
Afterword: 2018 and the Imperative for Change
Notes
Index
