The Putin Mystique

Resumen del libro

The Putin Mystique takes the reader on a journey through the Russia of Vladimir Putin, named by Forbes magazine in 2013 as the most powerful man in the world. It is a neo-feudal world where iPads and Armani business suits conceal a power structure straight out of the Middle Ages, where the Sovereign is perceived as both divine and demonic, where a mans riches are determined by his proximity to the Kremlin, and where large swathes of the populace live in precarious complacency interrupted by bouts of revolt.

Where does that kind of power come from? The answer lies not in the leader, but in the people: from the impoverished worker who appeals directly to Putin for aid, to the businessmen, security officers and officials in Putins often dysfunctional government who look to their leader for instruction and protection.