![]() ![]() For although he steered Russia out of the chaos of the post-Yeltsin years, no mean feat admittedly, the country remains a quintessential quandary of both fantastic and frightening potential. Quite why this is so, is anyone’s guess, (probably) including that of Vladimir Putin himself. Russia remains a country where one can still do the greatest things, for the most insignificant results. Yet it would appear that absolutely nothing has changed since. Without the loss of thirty million souls at the hands of Nazi Germany. ![]() When Marquis de Custine wrote them as part of his highly influential Journey Of Our Time (originally published in the early nineteenth century and quoted throughout this book), it was an altogether different time. ”What is Russia? Russia is the country where one can do the greatest things for the most insignificant results.” In and of itself, such words remain surprisingly profound, disturbing and astonishing. P utin and the Rise of Russia By Michael Stuermer Weidenfeld & Nicolson/Orion Publishing – £20.00 ![]()
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