Never Speak to Strangers and Other Writing from Russia and the Soviet Union - by David Satter (Paperback)

About the Book

Part two of a collection of David Satter's articles and essays about Russia.

Book Synopsis

David Satter is one of the world's leading commentators on Russia. The two-volume book series Never Speak to Strangers is a collection of his articles and essays. Volume two includes articles about the Russia-Ukraine war and argues that this tragic conflict was preventable. David Satter's writings and interviews describe the psychological roots of the conflict. Picking up where the first volume left off, the second volume of Never Speak to Strangers includes material on the historical and psychological roots of Russian aggression, the Yeltsin and Putin regimes, and, in particular, Russia's war against Ukraine.

David Satter shows that change could come to Russia in the wake of a defeat in Ukraine, but external events will not be enough to divert Russia permanently from foreingn aggression and internal repression. For that, what is required is something more fundamental, a recognition that world order must be based on universal moral values and a rejection once and for all of Russia's "special way".

Review Quotes

For Satter, as for Solzhenitsyn, Russia's key problem was not economic, as American and Russian reformers imagined, but spiritual and moral. He repeatedly warned of the situation we see unfolding in Ukraine today.--Gary Saul Morson, First Things

If David Satter's career has shown anything, it is that even in times when it seems impossible, a true understanding of what is happening in Russia is within reach, provided one has the right moral framework and the courage to see reality as it is.--Nat Brown, National Review

In this collection, the reader not only gets a sense of the practical matters that plagued Soviet citizens but also an in-depth understanding of ideology and the chaos it has caused for decades. [...] The essence of Russia is Satter's underlying theme, brilliantly presented with real knowledge and understanding of the Russian character and the horrific impact Marxist-Leninist ideology has had on it.--Emina Melonic, Law & Liberty

Long a thorn in Putin's side, Satter was expelled from Russia, underscoring his pivotal role in disclosing the Kremlin's deepest and darkest secrets, of which there are many. David Satter is the anti-Duranty of our times.--Paul R. Gregory, Hoover Institution

Taken together, his essays give us a much-needed framework for understanding Russia under Putin: where it came from, what it is like now, and--the most difficult question of all--where it is headed.--Paul R. Gregory, Defining Ideas: A Hoover Institution Journal

About the Author

David Satter has been one of the world's leading commentators on Russian affairs for almost five decades. He was the Moscow correspondent of the Financial Times from 1976 to 1982 and has written five books about Russia. After 1982, he was prevented from traveling to the Soviet Union but allowed back in 1990 and expelled in December 2013 with the explanation that the Russian intelligence services regarded his presence as "undesirable." This made him the first US journalist to be barred from Russia since the Cold War.