Black wind, white snow : the rise of Russia's new nationalism

A fascinating study of the root motivations behind the political activities and philosophies of Putin’s government in Russia “Part intellectual history, part portrait gallery . . . Black Wind, White Snow traces the background to Putin’s ideas with verve and clarity.”—Geoffrey Hosking, Financial Times “Required reading. This is a vivid, panoramic history of bad ideas, chasing the metastasis of the doctrine known as Eurasianism. . . . Reading Charles Clover will help you understand the world of lies and delusions that is Eurasia.”—Ben Judah, Standpoint Charles Clover, award-winning journalist and former Moscow bureau chief for the Financial Times , here analyzes the idea of "Eurasianism," a theory of Russian national identity based on ethnicity and geography. Clover traces Eurasianism’s origins in the writings of white Russian exiles in 1920s Europe, through Siberia’s Gulag archipelago in the 1950s, the dissolution of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s, and up to its steady infiltration of the governing elite around Vladimir Putin. This eye-opening analysis pieces together the evidence for Eurasianism’s place at the heart of Kremlin thinking today and explores its impact on recent events, the annexation of Crimea, and the rise in Russia of anti-Western paranoia and imperialist rhetoric, as well as Putin’s sometimes perplexing political actions and ambitions. Based on extensive research and dozens of interviews with Putin’s close advisers, this quietly explosive story will be essential reading for anyone concerned with Russia’s past century, and its future. A fascinating study of the root motivations behind thepolitical activities and philosophies of Putin's government inRussia "Part intellectual history, part portrait gallery . . .Black Wind, White Snow traces the background to Putin'sideas with verve and clarity."-Geoffrey Hosking, FinancialTimes "Required reading. This is a vivid, panoramic history ofbad ideas, chasing the metastasis of the doctrine known asEurasianism. . . . Reading Charles Clover will help you understandthe world of lies and delusions that is Eurasia."-Ben Judah,Standpoint Charles Clover, award-winningjournalist and former Moscow bureau chief for the FinancialTimes, here analyzes the idea of "Eurasianism," a theory ofRussian national identity based on ethnicity and geography. Clovertraces Eurasianism's origins in the writings of white Russianexiles in 1920s Europe, through Siberia's Gulag archipelago in the1950s, the dissolution of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s, andup to its steady infiltration of the governing elite aroundVladimir Putin. This eye-opening analysis pieces together theevidence for Eurasianism's place at the heart of Kremlin thinkingtoday and explores its impact on recent events, the annexation ofCrimea, and the rise in Russia of anti-Western paranoia andimperialist rhetoric, as well as Putin's sometimes perplexingpolitical actions and ambitions. Based on extensive research anddozens of interviews with Putin's close advisers, this quietlyexplosive story will be essential reading for anyone concerned withRussia's past century, and its future **A fascinating study of the root motivations behind the political activities and philosophies of Putin's government in Russia "Part intellectual history, part portrait gallery . . . __Black Wind, White Snow__ traces the background to Putin's ideas with verve and clarity."—Geoffrey Hosking, __Financial Times__ "Required reading. This is a vivid, panoramic history of bad ideas, chasing the metastasis of the doctrine known as Eurasianism. . . . Reading Charles Clover will help you understand the world of lies and delusions that is Eurasia."—Ben Judah, __Standpoint__** Charles Clover, award-winning journalist and former Moscow bureau chief for the , here analyzes the idea of "Eurasianism," a theory of Russian national identity based on ethnicity and geography. Clover traces Eurasianism's origins in the writings of white Russian exiles in 1920s Europe, through Siberia's Gulag archipelago in the 1950s, the dissolution of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s, and up to its steady infiltration of the governing elite around Vladimir Putin. This eye-opening analysis pieces together the evidence for Eurasianism's place at the heart of Kremlin thinking today and explores its impact on recent events, the annexation of Crimea, and the rise in Russia of anti-Western paranoia and imperialist rhetoric, as well as Putin's sometimes perplexing political actions and ambitions. Based on extensive research and dozens of interviews with Putin's close advisers, this quietly explosive story will be essential reading for anyone concerned with Russia's past century, and its future. "In this important, thought-provoking work, journalist Charles Clover, former Moscow bureau chief for the Financial Times, attempts to shed light on the sometimes perplexing political actions and ambitions of Russian leader Vladimir Putin. Clover suggests that a nearly century-old ideology known as Eurasianism has taken hold in the region following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, with Putin a strong proponent. Originally formulated as a counter to Communism, Eurasianism posits a Russian national identity based not on politics but on geography and ethnicity, and it portends a stark and troubling future reality for Eastern Europe. Clover's eye-opening study explores the roots of Eurasianism, its growth, and its relationship to recent events, including the annexation of Crimea and the dramatic rise in Russia of anti-Western paranoia and imperialist sentiments. Based on extensive archival research and interviews with Putin's close advisors, as well as with politicians and academics in Russia and Ukraine, this timely study is essential reading for anyone interested in understanding the political and social trajectories of Russia and the countries of the former USSR in the coming years"-- Provided by publisher