• Putin's Wars

  • The Rise of Russia's New Imperialism
  • By: Marcel H. Van Herpen
  • Narrated by: Julian Elfer
  • Length: 9 hrs and 22 mins
  • 4.1 out of 5 stars (84 ratings)

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Putin's Wars  By  cover art

Putin's Wars

By: Marcel H. Van Herpen
Narrated by: Julian Elfer
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Publisher's summary

This audiobook offers the first systematic analysis of Putin's two wars, placing the Second Chechen War and the War with Georgia of 2008 in their broader historical contexts. Drawing on extensive original Russian sources, Marcel H. Van Herpen analyzes in detail how Putin's wars were prepared and conducted and why they led to allegations of war crimes and genocide. He shows how the conflicts functioned to consolidate and legitimate Putin's regime and explores how they were connected to a third, hidden, "internal war" waged by the Kremlin against the opposition. The author convincingly argues that the Kremlin - relying on the secret services, the Orthodox Church, the Kremlin youth "Nashi", and the rehabilitated Cossacks - is preparing for an imperial revival, most recently in the form of a "Eurasian Union."

An essential book for understanding the dynamics of Putin's regime, this study digs deep into the Kremlin's secret long-term strategies. Clearly argued, it makes a compelling case that Putin's regime emulates an established Russian paradigm in which empire building and despotic rule are mutually reinforcing. As the first comprehensive exploration of the historical antecedents and political continuity of the Kremlin's contemporary policies, Van Herpen's work will make a valuable contribution to the literature on post-Soviet Russia, and his arguments will stimulate vigorous debate.

©2014 Rowman & Littlefield (P)2014 Audible Inc.

What listeners say about Putin's Wars

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Pretty good, waiting for next revision

Would you listen to Putin's Wars again? Why?

The book is very good. I learned a lot about Chechen war and Georgian war. The only trouble is that the book ends at the end of 2013. This is like listening to a book "Hitler's Wars" which ends in 1940. I hope the author will write a new revision of this book, unfortunately now, at the beginning of 2015 there is a lot of new materiel to cover.

What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?

Overall, Julian Elfer is doing pretty good job. However, when it comes to pronouncing Russian terms or names, I (a native Russian speaker) had very hard time trying to understand what is he saying. I would suggest to spend a couple hours with a teacher or a native Russian speaker and try to improve the pronunciation.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Comprehensive and well written.

A must read for those interested in East-West relations in the 21st century. Very good.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

not bad

plenty of information on the subject matter but a decided anti-russia and anti-putin bias by the author

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