Putin and the Rise of Russia

Historian Stuermer attempts to shed light on Vladimir Putin's 2000–2008 presidency and his vision for a new Russia in this thorough but poorly organized and overly complex book. Putin is “a man from nowhere,” an understated and effective KGB agent turned city administrator who moved from near-anonymity to the presidency in a few years. Putin is portrayed as both insider and outsider, but untrammeled by the political infighting and corruption of the post-Soviet Russian political machine. He quickly showed his mettle: revitalizing Russian industry, upgrading a decaying military and shifting top positions from the hands of career bureaucrats to former intelligence officers, producing a government of unparalleled obscurity. This book could have been an invaluable guide for Americans—post-Soviet Russia remains a major global force yet is woefully misunderstood by Westerners complacent after “winning” the cold war. But basic facts about Putin and post-Soviet Russia are glossed over, leaving the layperson to wade through a labyrinth of unfamiliar names, government agencies and corporations. Readers who manage to make sense of all this will find that the author's analyses of Russia's changing demographics, its status as a nuclear power and the future of its petroleum-based economy insightful and, often, troubling. (Oct.)