The New York Times' Moscow Bureau Chief gives us an interesting but incomplete look at Putin's acquisition and maintenance of power. In fairness, any biography of Putin is going to be far from complete - he lives an intensely stage-managed life and much of his life is shrouded in privacy and secrecy. But this book fails to satisfactorily answer even basic questions like "how did Putin rise to power?" with anything more than "others might promise, but Putin achieved results" and that Boris Yeltsin "impetuously" selected him as his prime minister. Why? I couldn't find a compelling answer

In spite of these major holes, "The New Tsar" does provide a fascinating and timely analysis of modern Russia and Putin's dominant role in it. The book reads particularly well when set against the backdrop of Trump's recent election in America - I was struck by many similarities between the two. The following passage could just as well have been written about Trump/America:

Putin’s rise was as astonishing as it was unexpected. He seemed to represent a new, independent political force... In the muck of Russia’s politics, he alone seemed untainted by the intrigues of politicians and oligarchs... His blunt public statements, even the coarse ones, seemed refreshing after the confusion and obfuscation of Yeltsin’s administration

Other similarities include:

* The importance of loyalty in their political allies
* The understanding and manipulation of the media to promote their own cults of personality
* The emphasis on law and order - Putin has said that Russia will be a "dictatorship of the law"
* Each takes his own counsel regarding major political decisions, reflecting their spirit of self-confidence and self-reliance.

Time will tell if Trump will adopt Putin's tactic of using "anti-corruption" measures to take down the political opposition.

When the book describes Putin's various methods of acquiring, expanding, and maintaining his power (by sheer determination, economic patronage, elimination of rivals, etc), I was reminded of similar strategies used by LBJ and Robert Moses. Putin isn't blazing a new trail here - we can understand him much better if we realize that he's a rational, ruthless actor doing things that aren't so unfamiliar to us here in America. One of the most interesting devices in this book was the constant comparison of Russian "corruption" to similar occurrences in the US.

I was also surprised by Putin's personal work ethic and initiative. From a starting point as a mid-career bureaucrat, he seized every opportunity to put in the hard work, deliver results, and work his way up. The book fails to explain why it took him until middle-age to really turn on the jets, but Putin seems to work his butt off. He doesn't drink, doesn't smoke, puts in crazy hours, and really turned his country around. And he learned English so that he could understand America better - when was the last time one of our presidents learned another country's language on the job?

Putin is certainly anti-American as all hell. But does that make him a bad leader for Russia? I'm not sure. It's not great for America, but he does seem to have majority support of the Russian population. He inherited a pretty dysfunctional situation from Yeltsin and there's no denying that he really turned things around. He's ruthless, brutal, and decisive - and there have certainly been some "broken eggs" but maybe that's the best that could have been done in such a tough situation. Rather than withering away, Russia has grown significantly in international stature and power under Putin. I just wish the author had given us a clearer picture of how he's done it.

As for the future... Russia's in a pretty tough spot with the structural weakness of their economy and their reliance on natural resources (particularly oil). At a recent Yale Grand Strategy event, I heard a perspective that sounds right to me. In the long term, Russia is not a geopolitical risk to the US - their economy is structurally too weak and this limits their influence. In the short/medium term though, Russia is going to assert itself but likely won't write checks it can't cash.

Full review and highlights at http://books.max-nova.com/new-tsar

The New Tsar - Likewise Book Reviews

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