Review: Fragile Empire by Ben Judah

Fragile Empire(affiliate)

Kindle(affiliate)

Support CaspianReport through Patreon:

BAKU - Of all the recent books about the Russian president, Fragile Empire: How Russia Fell In and Out of Love with Vladimir Putin by Ben Judah stands out for a number of reasons. First of all it’s not quite a biography but instead it’s more like a history book with the Vladimir Putin as the central character. Second, unlike many other books on Russia, the author Ben Judah, actually travels throughout Russia and early on establishes that Moscow isn’t Russia. Instead Moscow is a multicultural metropolis that is completely disconnected from the impoverished small towns and cities where most Russians live. So the book underlines the growing gap in the Russian society. Third, the book has a wealth of meaningful interviews with the friends and foes and colleagues of Putin. But there are also interviews with oligarchs, criminals, fascists, crooked politicians, and occasionally a genuine good guy. There are also street interviews with ordinary Russian citizens, who share their thoughts on their president and their country. It is these interviews from every corner of the country that formulate a very sharply accurate image of Russia. And finally, the fourth reason that sets this book apart and this is the most important point, as it’s right there in the title. Judah argues that even though Putin has brought economic growth and stability to Russia, thus earning him the support of the people, his methods have also embedded the government in corruption and fraud, thus losing the support of the people. As a result corruption has infiltrated the deepest levels of the government and the bureaucracy and thereby turned Russia into a lawless land of many contradictions. In fact, one can argue that Putin is a brilliant and triumphant politician but one can also argue that Putin has failed to build a modern state and has indirectly turned Russia into the new Sick Man of Europe.

CaspianReport is just one person's perspective on global events, geopolitics, histories and the cultures of the world. Visit our Facebook, LiveLeak and Twitter channels for more information.

If you want to help out, you can do so by a donation or you

can simply like and share this video.

Be sure to follow CaspianReport on the social media.

Facebook:

Twitter:

LiveLeak: