The Putin Paradox

by Richard Sakwa

Overview

Vladimir Putin has emerged as one of the key leaders of the twenty-first century. However, he is also recognized as one of the most divisive. Abroad, his assertion of Russia's interests and critique of the western-dominated international system has brought him into conflict with Atlantic powers. Within Russia, he has balanced various factions within the elite intelligentsia alongside the wider support of Russian society.

So what is the 'Putin paradox?' Richard Sakwa grapples with Putin's personal and political development on both the international political scene and within the domestic political landscape of Russia. This study historicizes the Putin paradox, through theoretical, historical and political analysis and in light of wider developments in Russian society. Richard Sakwa presents the Putin paradox as a unique regime type - balancing numerous contradictions - in order to adapt to its material environment while maintaining sufficient authority with which to shape it.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781838601270
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	02/06/2020
Pages:	344
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Richard Sakwa is Professor of Russian and European Politics at the University of Kent, an associate fellow of the Russia and Eurasia programme at Chatham House, and a fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences. His main research interests are Russian domestic and international politics, European international relations and comparative democratization. His recent books include Putin and the Oligarch: The Khodorkovsky - Yukos Affair (I. B. Tauris), Putin Redux: Power and Contradiction in Contemporary Russia, Frontline Ukraine: Crisis in the Borderlands (I. B. Tauris), Russia against the Rest: The Post-Cold War Crisis of World Order, and Russia's Futures.

Table of Contents

1. Putin and his times
From kommunalka to the Kremlin; The many Putins; The post-Cold War context; The democracy paradox

2. State, society and regime
The birth of the regime-state; The meta-factions of Russian society; The dual state and neo-patrimonialism; Reform, transition and beyond

3. Putin and politics
The state of exception and regionalism; Putin and the past; Anti-revolution as a political practice; Putin's statecraft; Stasis, or the developmental impasse

4. Politics and the third state
Regime reset; The third state and meta-corruption; The third state and micro-factionalism

5. Managed capitalism
State and market; Economic performance and plans; Powering Putinism; Sanctions and their effect

6. From partner to adversary: Russia and the West
The clash of post-Cold War world orders; The logic of Russian foreign policy; A new era of confrontation

7. Recreating the heartland: Eurasian partnerships
Eurasian integration in perspective; The post-Atlantic world;Putin's Asian gambit: escape from confrontation? Global Russia

8. The winds of change
Towards Putin's fourth term;The returban of politics; The 2018 presidential election; Challenges of Putin's fourth term

9. The Putin phenomenon
Putin's people and power; Is Putin an ism?; Putin's grand strategy

10. Paradoxes of Putinism
When success means failure; Towards the succession; Russia without Putin

Bibliography
Index

Editorial Reviews

An original, up-to-date and comprehensive text on the phenomenon of Putinism in contemporary Russia.” —Edwin Bacon, University of Lincoln

“The Putin Paradox is the latest take on Russia under Putin by the leading international scholar of his rule. Sakwa's trade mark incisiveness, nuance and innovation are ably demonstrated here. A must read for everyone interested in the fate of modern Russia and its role on the world stage.” —Graeme Gill, Professor Emeritus, University of Sydney

“Sakwa runs a forensic eye over Russian domestic and foreign policy, placing Putin's leadership in context and exploring the nuances of change and continuity in ideas, policy and strategy. Essential reading.” —Andrew Monaghan, Director of Research on Russia, Oxford Changing Character of War Centre.

From the Publisher