Masha Gessen, "The Future Is History"

Since the 2016 election, Gessen’s articles and commentary on Trump, Putin, hypocrisy, demagogues, and related issues have become essential reading. A long-time journalist who has worked in both Russia and the U.S., and author of the acclaimed biography of Putin The Man Without a Face, Gessen in her latest book traces Russia’s unsettling post-Soviet trajectory by looking closely at the lives of four different people. All were born into a time that promised freedom; all have been bitterly disappointed. As she examines how the state has crushed not only these people’s dreams but their sense of individual agency, Gessen tells a powerful cautionary tale deeply relevant to the West.

Gessen is in conversation with Susan B. Glasser, POLITICO's chief international affairs columnist and host of its new weekly podcast, The Global Politico.

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Produced by Tom Warren