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TheNewTsar:TheRiseandReignofVladimirPutin,byStevenLeeMyersTheNewYorkTimes

TheNewTsar:TheRiseandReignof
VladimirPutin,byStevenLeeMyers
ByGALBECKERMAN

NOV.2,2015

VladimirPutinhasanoriginstory.It
takesplaceinDresdeninthefallof1989,
inthedyingdaysofEastGermany,onthe
nightthatthousandsofprotesters
stormedthecitysStasiheadquarters.
Oncetheyweredoneransackingthe
officesthathadinspiredsomuchterror,
theydirectedtheirangerdownthestreet
towardtheK.G.B.residencewhere
LieutenantColonelPutin,ayoung
intelligenceofficer,stoodlookingoutthe
window.Watchingtheapproachingmob,
PutincalledthelocalSovietmilitary
commandandaskedforreinforcements.
Butnohigherauthoritywouldapproveit.
Moscowissilent,hewastold.
ShockedthattheSovietUnionwasso
weakenedthatitcouldntevendefendthe
sensitivedocumentsinsidethebuilding,
hedecidedtotakemattersintohisown
hands.Dressedinhismilitaryuniform
butwithnopistol,noordersandno
backup,hewalkedouttothegatewhere
thecrowdhadassembled.Andhebluffed.
Thishouseisstrictlyguarded,hesaidin
IllustrationbyTheNewYorkTimesphotographs,fromtop:
YuriKadobnov/AgenceFrancePresseGettyImages,and

aneventone,influentGerman.My

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TheNewTsar:TheRiseandReignofVladimirPutin,byStevenLeeMyersTheNewYorkTimes
YuriKadobnov/AgenceFrancePresseGettyImages,and

poolphotobyAlexeiNikolsky.

soldiershaveweapons.AndIgavethem
orders:Ifanyoneentersthecompound,
theyaretoopenfire.Withthat,he

turnedandwalkedbackintothehouse.Theprotestersdispersed.
Putinlovesthisstory.ButitsalsogoodfodderforPutinologists,struggling
todecipherwhatdrivesthemanwhohassocompletelyruledRussiaforthe
last15years.ItsaquestionascriticalnowwithaMoscowbacked
insurgencyragingineasternUkraineandRussiachoosingtoactively
interveneintheSyriancivilwarasitwaswhenPutinfirstcametopower
in2000andwenttowarinChechnya.Andherewehavesomeinsightinto
howhelikesbesttoseehimself:Onemanrepresentinghiscountry,
representingstabilityandorder,standsagainstthechaosofthestreetone
manwhostillbelievesintheuniquepowerofthestatepersonifiesits
sovereigntyanditsprerogativetodefenditsinterestsonemanwho
embodiescalm,measuredauthorityresiststheemotionalswellof
undisciplined,angrypeople,andunderstandsthattheappearanceof
forcefulnessandobstinacycanbeaspowerfulasanactualshowofforce.
WhatdoesPutinwant?IshetryingtorestoretheSovietempire?Isitall
abouttheoilandmaximizingRussiaspositionasapetropower?Maybe
corruptionandcronyismarehisultimateobjectivesasheenricheshimself
andthetightcircleoffriendsfromhisnativeSt.Petersburg.Perhapshes
neverstoppedbeingaK.G.B.man,paranoidaboutforeignagentsand
withaColdWarwarinessaboutthepoweroftheUnitedStates?Isthe
answermegalomania,theselfregardofamanwholikesbeing
photographedbarechestedonhorseback?Ordothemoralistic
pronouncementsaboutRussiaasaThirdRome,savingafallenWestern
world,providethekey?
Therestruthtoeachofthese,butwhatStevenLeeMyersgetssorightin
TheNewTsar,hiscomprehensivenewbiographythemostinformative
andextensivesofarinEnglishisthatatbottomPutinsimplyfeelsthat
hesthelastonestandingbetweenorderandchaos.Ratherthanaunified
theoryofPutin,whatMyersoffersistheportraitofamanswingingfrom

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TheNewTsar:TheRiseandReignofVladimirPutin,byStevenLeeMyersTheNewYorkTimes

crisistocrisiswithonegoal:projectingstrength.Thatseemsaboutasclose
aswecangettohim.Shapedlikemanyinhisgenerationbywitnessingthe
disappearanceoftheSovietUnionasuperpower,nolessandallthe
uncertaintyandinsecuritythatfollowedinthe1990s,Putinhasnever
stoppedbeinghauntedbythenotionthatMoscowwassilent.Andoutof
thisfearofcollapsehehasbecomeforhispeopleandhimself,asMyersputs
it,thelivingembodimentofRussiasstability.
Inthenameofthisstability,hehasconsolidatedpowerinhisownpersonin
anastoundingway.Inhisfirsttwoterms,from2000to2008,hebrought
downtheoligarchs,therebyregainingtotalcontrolofthenewsmediaand
orchestratingthebreakupofYukos,thegiantoilcompany(andjailingits
chiefexecutive,MikhailKhodorkovsky),whichreturnedtwoimportant
powersourcestothestate.HisloyalfriendsnowrunmostofRussias
importantindustries.Unfettereddemocracyalsopointedthewaytochaos,
andsohedevelopedsomethinghisadviserscalledmanageddemocracy,
providingonlythesemblanceofpopularwill.Oppositionpartieswere
neutered,andRussianslosttheabilitytovoteindirectelectionsforlocalor
regionalgovernments.TheRussianpeoplearebackward,Putinoncetold
agroupofforeignjournalists.Theycannotadapttodemocracyasthey
havedoneinyourcountries.Theyneedtime.
InPutinsmind,enemieslookingtoupendtheorderherestoredandreturn
Russiatoits1990sstateofentropylurkeverywhere,whetherChechen
separatists,E.U.lovingUkrainianpoliticiansortheWestasawhole,
workingthroughitsnefariousprogayN.G.O.sorNATO.WhenPutinfaced
hisfirstrealprotestmovementintheleaduptothe2012presidential
elections,thecallsforchangewerenothingmoretohimthananother
foreigninvasionand,usingthenewsmedia,riotpoliceandacorruptlegal
system,hefoundawaytosquashthem.Ifheisorder,anythingopposedto
himisdisorder.EventakingthesideofdictatorsduringtheArabSpring,
whichwasperceivedasadefenseofRussiaseconomicandgeopolitical
interests,wasreallyaboutsomethingmuchdeeperforPutin,Myers
writes,adarkassociationinhismindbetweenaspirationsfordemocracy

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TheNewTsar:TheRiseandReignofVladimirPutin,byStevenLeeMyersTheNewYorkTimes

andtheriseofradicalism,betweenelectionsandthechaosthatwould
inevitablyresult.
Thisisajournalistsbook,whichharvests

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PRIVACYPOLICY

onandoffsince2002andhasreported
onmanyoftheincrementaltwistsand
turnsofPutinsrule.Thismakesfora
knowledgeableandthoroughbiography,
thoughonethatcanfeelabitdetached
andboggeddownbyinformationat
times.Whatsmissing,forexample,isa
viewfromthestreet,anunderstandingof
whatRussiansfeelabouttheirnewtsar.
Withoutperspectiveslikethis,flowing

beneaththenewsitems,itshardtoreallygrasphowPutin,whobyMyerss
ownaccountwasacolorlessanduncharismaticfigurebeforecomingto
power(likethatboredschoolboyinthebackoftheclassroom,President
Obamaobservedin2013),becamealivingmonumentforhispeople,a
leaderontowhosetautskintheyhaveprojectedsomuch.
Myerssbookendswithperhapsthegreatestexamplesof
Putinstotalpower:inquicksuccession,theOlympic
GamesinSochiandtheconqueringoftheCrimeainearly
2014.InPutinsmind,hesinglehandedlytamednature
andchangedbordersforthegloryofRussia.Butifhehas
builthisautocraticruleontheneedtobeatbackthe
barbariansatthegate,thoroughlycrushingeveryother
sourceofpowerinthecountry,howdoeshejustifythe
factthatthereisnooneandnopartythatcanreplace
him,thatcivilsocietyhasbeendecimatedandthe
parliamentarysystemhasbeenturnedintoajoke?As
becomesincreasinglyclearreadingthisbiography,Putin

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TheNewTsar:TheRiseandReignofVladimirPutin,byStevenLeeMyersTheNewYorkTimes

himselfnowrepresentsthechaoshesoabhorsthe
chaosthatwillsurelycomeinhiswake.

IllustrationbyTheNewYorkTimes
photographs,fromtop:poolphoto
byAlexeiDruzhinin,andDenis
Sinyakov/Reuters

THENEWTSAR
TheRiseandReignofVladimirPutin
ByStevenLeeMyers
Illustrated.572pp.AlfredA.Knopf.$32.50.

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