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A review by snowcrash
The Man Without a Face: The Unlikely Rise of Vladimir Putin by Masha Gessen
4.0
With the US-Russia summit concluding today, this book is timely. It was completed in 2012, with this edition having added sections for 2013 & 2014. It is a highly detailed, well researched book that brings to light the person of Vadimir Putin. There isn't any propoganda here or positive spin origin story. The author gives a view of the environment of Russia after World War 2, especially Leningrade, where Putin came from. We learn about him as a kid and young adult. Then the book dives into Putin in government.
I learned a lot about the measure of the man who calls himself President of Russia. He isn't President, he is a dictator who uses all of the tools of government to silence anyone who even looks at him wrong. He ran St. Petersburg like a mafia don. The city was a failed state, yet he and a few others grew rich. That mentality was brought into the Kremlin after the Family anointed him to secede Boris Yeltsin. Putin was very comfortable with the USSR model of total dominance. He has made sure to return Russia to the days of the USSR, but without the Communist ideology.
I didn't realize that Putin was leading Russia at the time of the Kursk accident. I had followed that when it happened (anything submarine for me). I did remember him not doing anything for days. It is also seen as a turning point for him, one which taught him not to get into a room with a lot of people. He hated that. It is the reason he only wants small groups. Better control over the environment.
I learned quite a bit about how the FSB was behind a series of "terrorist" incidences in the country. This includes the bombing of apartment buildings in Moscow to hostage situations. Each of the incidences was used to stoke fear in the populas and give Putin something to crow about when the perpetrators are dealt with. This is using the lives of your fellow countrymen to further your take over of that same country.
It struck me after these revelations and those around the murders of dissidents, that here in the US have it easy. We think Nixon was evil in how he executed his political shenanigans. He helped keep the Vietnam War going so that he could use it as a campaign wedge against Johnson in 1968. But he didn't have the FBI destroy buildings to give him cover to take over more of the levers of power. Our idea of evil is a boy scout in comparison to that of Putin and his cronies.
Putin plays the long game. He is a thug and bully that will blame everything in the world on someone else. That he is the victim, while screwing over the Russian people and those of the world. What got me in the end was why is he putting on the charade of a democracy? Why even have elections or go through the motions of trials? The people know it is corrupt. But Putin continues to put forth the vener of being a society of laws. The Kremlin picks who is on the undercard for the elections. Why not just do it like Iraq under their dictator? One candidate. Look he won!
In the end, it is a sad state of affairs. What does Putin and his cronies want? Power? They have that. Same with money and fancy things. Respect? This isn't the way to get it, unless you are of the ilk of Trump. But the Russian power center doesn't know any other way. During the Cold War, the USSR was fearful of NATO invading and conducting regime change. That was the only way they saw things. For that is what they saw in others, since that is the only way they could think. Same here. No one knows what happens after Putin. There is no succession, there is no internal development of clear thinking leaders. Just the corrupt stealing as much as they can before it all collapses again.
Collapse it will. Another good book, _Why Civilizations Die_ by David Paul Goldman lays out what will happen. The birth rate of Russia is falling. It has been for decades. This is similar to many places around the world. The old will outnumber the young in 20-30 years. Add on top of that the behavior of cultures that are dying. They lash out when they lose hope. To harm others in order to distract from the coming generational cliff. Put is all together, Putin's actions, his formenting of conflict and desire to keep the old ways means the Russian leadership sees the only way out is control the populace and bleed it dry. Read both books to have a better understanding of who is running Russia & the repercussions of a declining population.
I learned a lot about the measure of the man who calls himself President of Russia. He isn't President, he is a dictator who uses all of the tools of government to silence anyone who even looks at him wrong. He ran St. Petersburg like a mafia don. The city was a failed state, yet he and a few others grew rich. That mentality was brought into the Kremlin after the Family anointed him to secede Boris Yeltsin. Putin was very comfortable with the USSR model of total dominance. He has made sure to return Russia to the days of the USSR, but without the Communist ideology.
I didn't realize that Putin was leading Russia at the time of the Kursk accident. I had followed that when it happened (anything submarine for me). I did remember him not doing anything for days. It is also seen as a turning point for him, one which taught him not to get into a room with a lot of people. He hated that. It is the reason he only wants small groups. Better control over the environment.
I learned quite a bit about how the FSB was behind a series of "terrorist" incidences in the country. This includes the bombing of apartment buildings in Moscow to hostage situations. Each of the incidences was used to stoke fear in the populas and give Putin something to crow about when the perpetrators are dealt with. This is using the lives of your fellow countrymen to further your take over of that same country.
It struck me after these revelations and those around the murders of dissidents, that here in the US have it easy. We think Nixon was evil in how he executed his political shenanigans. He helped keep the Vietnam War going so that he could use it as a campaign wedge against Johnson in 1968. But he didn't have the FBI destroy buildings to give him cover to take over more of the levers of power. Our idea of evil is a boy scout in comparison to that of Putin and his cronies.
Putin plays the long game. He is a thug and bully that will blame everything in the world on someone else. That he is the victim, while screwing over the Russian people and those of the world. What got me in the end was why is he putting on the charade of a democracy? Why even have elections or go through the motions of trials? The people know it is corrupt. But Putin continues to put forth the vener of being a society of laws. The Kremlin picks who is on the undercard for the elections. Why not just do it like Iraq under their dictator? One candidate. Look he won!
In the end, it is a sad state of affairs. What does Putin and his cronies want? Power? They have that. Same with money and fancy things. Respect? This isn't the way to get it, unless you are of the ilk of Trump. But the Russian power center doesn't know any other way. During the Cold War, the USSR was fearful of NATO invading and conducting regime change. That was the only way they saw things. For that is what they saw in others, since that is the only way they could think. Same here. No one knows what happens after Putin. There is no succession, there is no internal development of clear thinking leaders. Just the corrupt stealing as much as they can before it all collapses again.
Collapse it will. Another good book, _Why Civilizations Die_ by David Paul Goldman lays out what will happen. The birth rate of Russia is falling. It has been for decades. This is similar to many places around the world. The old will outnumber the young in 20-30 years. Add on top of that the behavior of cultures that are dying. They lash out when they lose hope. To harm others in order to distract from the coming generational cliff. Put is all together, Putin's actions, his formenting of conflict and desire to keep the old ways means the Russian leadership sees the only way out is control the populace and bleed it dry. Read both books to have a better understanding of who is running Russia & the repercussions of a declining population.