The Putin System - by Grigory Yavlinsky (Hardcover)

About the Book

Grigory Yavlinsky, a Russian economist and opposition leader, explains his country's politics from a unique perspective, voicing a Russian liberal critique of the post-Soviet system that is vital for the West to hear.​ He argues that Putin is as much a product of the system as its creator.

Book Synopsis

A quarter century after the fall of the Soviet Union, Russia once again looms large over world affairs, from Ukraine to Syria to the 2016 U.S. election. Yet how power works in present-day Russia--how Vladimir Putin came to power and maintains his rule--remains opaque and often misunderstood. In The Putin System, Russian economist and opposition leader Grigory Yavlinsky explains his country's politics from a unique perspective, voicing a Russian liberal critique of the post-Soviet system that is vital for the West to hear.

Combining the firsthand experience of a practicing politician with academic expertise, Yavlinsky gives unparalleled insights into the sources of Putin's power and what might be next. He argues that Russia's dysfunction is neither the outcome of one man's iron-fisted rule nor a deviation from the supposedly natural development of Western-style political institutions. Instead, Russia's peripheral position in the global economy has fundamentally shaped the regime's domestic and foreign policy, nourishing authoritarianism while undermining its opponents. The quasi-market reforms of the 1990s, the bureaucracy's self-perpetuating grip on power, and the Russian elite's frustration with its secondary status have all combined to enable personalized authoritarian rule and corruption. Ultimately, Putin is as much a product of the system as its creator. In a time of sensationalism and fear, The Putin System is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand how power is wielded in Russia.

Review Quotes

The Putin System could lead to a greater understanding of a country that, to many at the moment, appears increasingly incomprehensible.-- "Rights in Russia"

The Putin System shows how far from the path to a market-based democracy the country has deviated. It provides one of the most penetrating, if bleak, analyses of the Russian system of recent years. . . . Those seeking to understand today's Russia have much to gain from the English translation.--Neil Buckley "Financial Times"

An invaluable work from an insider/outsider who does not underestimate the scale of the problems which yielded Putin as the answer. In this respect, it is far from being a simplistic account of good and evil.

-- "The European Legacy"

[The Putin System] is recommended as an assessment of Russia's political and economic system by an opposition leader. Moreover, while Yavlinsky's analysis is deeply pessimistic, his continued participation in politics reflects, by implication, a degree of optimism over the potential for change.-- "Choice"

A significant analysis by an experienced politician, figure of the Russian opposition, and academic economist. . . . The volume will reward the attention not only of specialists in international affairs and comparative politics but also of interested citizens.-- "Terrorism and Political Violence"

Grigory Yavlinsky, a democratic opposition politician in Russia who has run against both Yeltsin and Putin for president, presents a compelling view of the origins and development of the Putin system.--Steven Simon "Survival"

Russia's decline, according to Yavlinsky, owes not to the scheming of one individual but to a systemic failure, namely, the lack of political competition in the Russian Federation.-- "Lossi 36"

Too insightful not to take notice.--JP O'Malley "The Globe and Mail"

Yavlinsky's carefully crafted and cohesively written arguments make The Putin System an analytically strong and thought-provoking source about the Putin regime.-- "New Eastern Europe"

A much-needed insider view from an important political figure and reform economist.--Jack F. Matlock Jr., U.S. ambassador to the Soviet Union (1987-1991) and author of Reagan and Gorbachev: How the Cold War Ended

Grigory Yavlinsky's book is of great importance. He gives us a clear-eyed diagnosis of Putinism, a phenomenon that exacerbates the crisis in democracy and casts a shadow over the world order in the twenty-first century. He also reminds us that Russia has brave, determined reformers who have on their side logic, principles, and lessons from the past and present that will guide their remedies for the future.--Strobe Talbott, Brookings Institution

Grigory Yavlinsky is one of the most acute, brilliant observers of and actors in contemporary Russian life, politics, and history. The Putin System makes a uniquely valuable contribution to understanding the Putin phenomenon in all its visible and invisible aspects--and why the West must pay attention.--Jonathan Brent, author of Inside the Stalin Archives: Discovering the New Russia

About the Author

Grigory Yavlinsky is a Russian economist and politician. A proponent of market-oriented reforms under Gorbachev, Yavlinsky has been a key figure of the opposition in post-Soviet Russia with the independent liberal party Yabloko, for which he was the 2018 presidential candidate. His books include Realeconomik: The Hidden Cause of the Great Recession (and How to Avert the Next One) (2011), Incentives and Institutions: The Transition to a Market Economy in Russia (2000), and 500 Days: Transition to the Market (1991). He teaches at the National Research University Higher School of Economics in Moscow.