After Putin's Russia: Past Imperfect, Future Uncertain

by Stephen K. Wegren (Contributor), Dale R. Herspring (Editor)

Now in a thoroughly revised, expanded, and updated edition, this classic text provides the most authoritative and current analysis available of contemporary Russia and the challenges facing Vladimir Putin and his successor, Dmitri Medvedev. Leading scholars offer a full-scale reassessment of Putin's leadership, exploring Russia's ongoing daunting domestic and international concerns. Evaluating the regime's continued efforts to rebuild a country once on the verge of collapse, they consider a comprehensive array of economic, political, and social issues, along with Putin himself, whose popularity has remained high despite his authoritarian approach. The contributors conclude that Putin's influence will continue to be felt for years to come, not only because he remains powerful in his new post as prime minister, but because he laid the groundwork for dealing with the many problems still confronting Russia. Only by understanding these challenges-and Putin's previous efforts to deal with them-will it be possible to understand the rhetoric and actions of his successor. Clearly written and organized, this text is an indispensable guide for anyone wanting to understand Russia today.

Genres: Russia, History

330 pages, Hardcover

First published August 16, 2009

Reviews

[Theresa Leone Davidson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is like a text book on Russia - what it used to be during the Cold War and what it is like now, politically, socially, and economically. Vladimir Putin, once president and now prime minister, is central to everything the new Russia has become, and the decisions he has made have arguably shaped this country for decades to come. Very interesting reading if one wants to know about this country.

[Marie-aimée · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un livre très intéressant qui éclaire bien des points d'actualité tel que la guerre en Géorgie ou encore le procès Mikhail Khodorkovski. Les transformations institutionnelles et politiques y sont également expliquées et analysées.

A very interesting book that shows many current and actual issues as the war in Georgia or the trial of the oligarch Mikhail Khodorkovsky. The evolutions of institutions and policies are also explained and good analyzed.

"Part of the reason for remaining "extraordinary" elements in Russian politics is the nature of adaptation to contemporary modernity. We can briefly characterize this as a process of partial and dual adaptation. Political adaptation is necessarily a partial process. [...] The essence of Putin's leadership was to attempt to negociate a new balance between adaptation and affirmation. A system of "partial adaptation" emerged, appealing to Russian political culture and shaped by security concerns while at the same time integrating into the international economy. [...] While committed to a certain type of democratization, the Putin leadership instead that democracy needs to be rooted in, and congruent with, national conditions."

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author has a keen understanding of Putin and his era in the 2000s, and he can write about this topic well enough, but the problem is that most of the information he spends the most time on in this book are aspects that anyone who follows Russian affairs will already know. Also, despite the title, the focus is soundly on the fall of the Soviet Union and Putin's rise to power—not the future so much as the present and the background to that present.

Again, for someone new to contemporary Russian affairs, this book may be very useful but if you're looking for a lot more details than what you already know or very deep analysis, you'll be frustrated as I was in how much the author repeats things he's already covered in the book time and again or else information that is pretty much common knowledge to those interested in Russia.

[Kw Estes · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent compilation of articles on Russia. If you already read the third edition, not much need to read this one. However, there are a few entirely original articles. In sum, only required reading for the Russophiles among us.