The Russia Conundrum: How the West Fell for Putin's Power Gambit--and How to Fix It

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An urgent analysis of the battle between Russia and the West and an exposé of Putin’s Russia, by a former Kremlin insider. "I'm a fairly calm fellow; I don't usually get wound up about things. But I was, let's say, concerned when I tuned into the Moscow Echo radio station and heard that the Kremlin had put a price on my head. The announcement didn't quite say 'dead or alive'. But it came close..." ―Mikhail Khodorkovsky, March 2021 Mikhail Khodorkovsky has seen behind the mask of Vladimir Putin. Once an oil tycoon and the richest man in Russia, Khodorkovsky spoke out against the corruption of Putin's regime―and was punished by the Kremlin, stripped of his entire wealth and jailed for over ten years. Now freed, working as a pro-democracy campaigner in enforced exile, Khodorkovsky brings us the insider's battle to save his country's soul. Offering an urgent analysis of what has gone wrong with Putin, The Russia Conundrum maps the country's rise and fall against Khodorkovsky's own journey, from Soviet youth to international oil executive, powerful insider to political dissident, and now a high-profile voice seeking to reconcile East and West. With unparalleled insight, written with Sunday Times bestselling author Martin Sixsmith, The Russia Conundrum exposes the desires and damning truths of Putin's "mafia clan," and provides an answer to the West on how it must challenge the Kremlin―in order to pave the way for a better future. Preface Introduction Part One – A Great Experiment 1. Hopes and Aspirations 2. An Open Society 3. A Turning Point 4. Gambling Big 5. The Humbling Part Two – Enter the Strongman 6. All Things to All Men 7. The Confrontation 8. An Anatomy of Corruption 9. Putin Unbound 10. The Trial 11. Arrested Development 12. Gulag Part Three – East and West 13. Enemy at the Gates 14. Managed Democracy 15. International Operations 16. What Is Russian for Fake News? 17. Stop Thinking You Can Be Safe with the Bear 18. Expansionist Dreams 19. A Blunt Instrument 20. You Are Not Safe 21. Making Martyrs 22. A Brighter Future Acknowledgements Notes Picture Credits Index About the Authors