Scan barcode
A review by jorgjuar
Putin v. the People: The Perilous Politics of a Divided Russia by Graeme B. Robertson, Samuel A. Greene
4.0
4.5 rounded down to 4
Written by Samuel A. Greene and Graeme B. Robertson, Putin v. The People is a great analysis of Putin's politics throughout his mandate, including when, in theory, he wasn't.
The research covers interviews with Russian citizens from different parts of the country in a wide variety of issues to measure the public opinion, which is a key element for Kremlin's decisions and politicis, thus, showing how Russian society from different spectrums feeds Putin's politics and viceversa. It's quite interesting how this symbiotic relationship has driven politics depending on the time of occurrence, but which in any case has allowed Putin's control over the media, "mysterious" deaths of opponents, and so on over a wide time span.
As an additional note, it's impressive how many of Kremlin's tactics have been used by some governments in Latin America; the paralells with the current government of Mexico are worrying, to say the least.
All the items covered in the book are supported by data, but it also specifies when the latter is not sufficient to reach a conclusion. In addition, the authors are always very clear on what the research does and does not demonstrate.
In short, Putin v. The People is a must read for anyone interested in Putin's politics and how he's been able to hold power for so long.
Written by Samuel A. Greene and Graeme B. Robertson, Putin v. The People is a great analysis of Putin's politics throughout his mandate, including when, in theory, he wasn't.
The research covers interviews with Russian citizens from different parts of the country in a wide variety of issues to measure the public opinion, which is a key element for Kremlin's decisions and politicis, thus, showing how Russian society from different spectrums feeds Putin's politics and viceversa. It's quite interesting how this symbiotic relationship has driven politics depending on the time of occurrence, but which in any case has allowed Putin's control over the media, "mysterious" deaths of opponents, and so on over a wide time span.
As an additional note, it's impressive how many of Kremlin's tactics have been used by some governments in Latin America; the paralells with the current government of Mexico are worrying, to say the least.
All the items covered in the book are supported by data, but it also specifies when the latter is not sufficient to reach a conclusion. In addition, the authors are always very clear on what the research does and does not demonstrate.
In short, Putin v. The People is a must read for anyone interested in Putin's politics and how he's been able to hold power for so long.