Mark Galeotti: We Need to Talk about Putin: How the West Gets Him Wrong

Abstract

Meet the world's most dangerous man. Or is he? Who is the real VladimirPutin? What does he want? And what will he do next? Despite the millions ofwords written on Putin's Russia, the West still fails to truly understand oneof the world's most powerful politicians, whose influence spans the globeand whose networks of power reach into the very heart of our daily lives. Inthis essential primer, Professor Mark Galeotti uncovers the man behind themyth, addressing the key misperceptions of Putin and explaining how wecan decipher his motivations and next moves. From Putin’s early life in theKGB and his real relationship with the USA to his vision for the future ofRussia – and the world – Galeotti draws on new Russian sources andexplosive unpublished accounts to give unparalleled insight into the man atthe heart of global politics.