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Russia under Vladimir Putin has proved a prickly partner for the West, a far cry from the democratic ally many hoped for when the Soviet Union collapsed. Abroad, he has used Russia's energy might as a foreign policy weapon, while at home he has cracked down on opponents, adamant that only he has the right vision for his country's future. Former BBC Moscow correspondent Angus Roxburgh charts the dramatic fight for Russia's future under Vladimir Putin - how the former KGB man changed from reformer to autocrat, how he sought the West's respect but earned its fear, how he cracked down on his rivals at home and burnished a flamboyant personality cult, one day saving snow leopards or horse-back riding bare-chested, the next tongue-lashing Western audiences. Drawing on dozens of exclusive interviews in Russia, where he worked for a time as a Kremlin insider advising Putin on press relations, as well as in the US and Europe, Roxburgh also argues that the West threw away chances to bring Russia in from the cold, by failing to understand its fears and aspirations following the collapse of communism.
Angus Roxburgh is a respected British foreign correspondent and Russia specialist. He was the Sunday Times Moscow correspondent in the mid-1980s and the BBC’s Moscow correspondent during the Yeltsin years. He is the author of The Second Russian Revolution and Pravda: Inside the Soviet Press Machine.
‘[A]lively and absorbing study.... [Roxburgh] is especially well placed to tell the story of how the west’s early enthusiasm for Putin turned sour.’
– Luke Harding, Guardian
‘[Written] with admirable even-handedness and insight...The Strongman is not only political history; it is informed by the author’s close acquaintance with many of the prime players...Every chapter of this book is worth reading.’
– Mary Dejevsky, The Independent
‘We need an insider to give us some insight into what has really been going on since 1999, when Putin went from unknown to acting president. It is fortunate then that we have Angus Roxburgh... fair, nuanced and well written...His account of the complete mutual incomprehension between his employers, Ketchum, and the Russians they worked with is fascinating.'
– Sunday Telegraph
‘…an old Russian hand. [Roxburgh] takes us behind the curtain of the Kremlin press section….he is at his best in a chapter on fraught Georgian-Russian relations, capturing the culpability on all sides.’
– Stephen Kotkin, TLS
‘The considerable value of this book lies in [Roxburgh’s] painstaking and empathetic effort to understand how Mr. Putin came to power, why many Russians still support him today, and how the West’s approach to Russia has helped to shape his rule... Mr. Roxburgh persuasively argues...’
– Wall Street Journal
‘Roxburgh paints a...compelling portrait. He is sympathetic to what motivates Putin but critical of what Putin has become during his years in power...engrossing.’
- Foreign Affairs
‘Well researched and with many personal observations by an admired and insightful journalist, this will appeal to contemporary Russophiles and Putin watchers.’
– Library Journal
‘A sober assessment of the Putin years, illuminated by Angus Roxburgh’s first-hand experience and long acquaintance with Russia.’
– Bridget Kendall, BBC diplomatic correspondent
‘Using his personal experiences and material from new interviews with key figures, Angus Roxburgh lifts the lid on a decade of murky Kremlin politics and points the way towards the new Putin era that is about to dawn.’
– Martin Sixsmith, author of Russia: A 1,000-Year Chronicle of the Wild East
‘As a former adviser to the Kremlin in 2006-09, working for the Brussels based consultancy GPlus, Roxburgh had an excellent vantage point, and here he offers a stellar cast of sources, drawn from those closest to Putin and Western leaders. Their accounts make this is a valuable book.’
– European Voice
‘...a solid foreign correspondent narrative of Putin’s behaviour...’
– New York Times
Imprint: I.B.Tauris
Publisher: I.B.Tauris & Co Ltd
Hardback
ISBN: 9781780760162
Publication Date: 15 Dec 2011
Number of Pages: 288
Height: 216
Width: 134
Russia under Vladimir Putin has proved a prickly partner for the West, a far cry from the democratic ally many hoped for when the Soviet Union collapsed. Abroad, he has used Russia's energy might as a foreign policy weapon, while at home he has cracked down on opponents, adamant that only he has the right vision for his country's future. Former BBC Moscow correspondent Angus Roxburgh charts the dramatic fight for Russia's future under Vladimir Putin - how the former KGB man changed from reformer to autocrat, how he sought the West's respect but earned its fear, how he cracked down on his rivals at home and burnished a flamboyant personality cult, one day saving snow leopards or horse-back riding bare-chested, the next tongue-lashing Western audiences. Drawing on dozens of exclusive interviews in Russia, where he worked for a time as a Kremlin insider advising Putin on press relations, as well as in the US and Europe, Roxburgh also argues that the West threw away chances to bring Russia in from the cold, by failing to understand its fears and aspirations following the collapse of communism.
Angus Roxburgh is a respected British foreign correspondent and Russia specialist. He was the Sunday Times Moscow correspondent in the mid-1980s and the BBC’s Moscow correspondent during the Yeltsin years. He is the author of The Second Russian Revolution and Pravda: Inside the Soviet Press Machine.
‘[A]lively and absorbing study.... [Roxburgh] is especially well placed to tell the story of how the west’s early enthusiasm for Putin turned sour.’
– Luke Harding, Guardian
‘[Written] with admirable even-handedness and insight...The Strongman is not only political history; it is informed by the author’s close acquaintance with many of the prime players...Every chapter of this book is worth reading.’
– Mary Dejevsky, The Independent
‘We need an insider to give us some insight into what has really been going on since 1999, when Putin went from unknown to acting president. It is fortunate then that we have Angus Roxburgh... fair, nuanced and well written...His account of the complete mutual incomprehension between his employers, Ketchum, and the Russians they worked with is fascinating.'
– Sunday Telegraph
‘…an old Russian hand. [Roxburgh] takes us behind the curtain of the Kremlin press section….he is at his best in a chapter on fraught Georgian-Russian relations, capturing the culpability on all sides.’
– Stephen Kotkin, TLS
‘The considerable value of this book lies in [Roxburgh’s] painstaking and empathetic effort to understand how Mr. Putin came to power, why many Russians still support him today, and how the West’s approach to Russia has helped to shape his rule... Mr. Roxburgh persuasively argues...’
– Wall Street Journal
‘Roxburgh paints a...compelling portrait. He is sympathetic to what motivates Putin but critical of what Putin has become during his years in power...engrossing.’
- Foreign Affairs
‘Well researched and with many personal observations by an admired and insightful journalist, this will appeal to contemporary Russophiles and Putin watchers.’
– Library Journal
‘A sober assessment of the Putin years, illuminated by Angus Roxburgh’s first-hand experience and long acquaintance with Russia.’
– Bridget Kendall, BBC diplomatic correspondent
‘Using his personal experiences and material from new interviews with key figures, Angus Roxburgh lifts the lid on a decade of murky Kremlin politics and points the way towards the new Putin era that is about to dawn.’
– Martin Sixsmith, author of Russia: A 1,000-Year Chronicle of the Wild East
‘As a former adviser to the Kremlin in 2006-09, working for the Brussels based consultancy GPlus, Roxburgh had an excellent vantage point, and here he offers a stellar cast of sources, drawn from those closest to Putin and Western leaders. Their accounts make this is a valuable book.’
– European Voice
‘...a solid foreign correspondent narrative of Putin’s behaviour...’
– New York Times
Imprint: I.B.Tauris
Publisher: I.B.Tauris & Co Ltd
HardbackISBN: 9781780760162
Publication Date: 15 Dec 2011
Number of Pages: 288
Height: 216
Width: 134