He’s neither nice nor good. The book has times, places, people, murders and facts that prove how Vladimir Putin has taken over Russia and made the people subject to him and in an astounding series of corrupt bargains has taken over many private companies that are now making profit for the Russian government. Putin uses commercial enterprises as a tax collection program that should be considered one for me, one for you and two for the government. He may not be the most deceptive man ever but there’s plenty of evidence in The New Tzar to make the case.

Putin represents the chaos he so abhors. He’s a combination Al Capone and Mother Teresa who is as evil as they come but many Russians revere him as a Russian savior and saint. This is one bad dude who’s fooled so many but the author presents more than enough info about the corrupt people who made so many corrupt deals that have keep Russia more backward than they should be.

Quoting a review: “The reptilian, poker-faced former KGB agent, now Russian president seemingly for life, earns a fair, engaging treatment in the hands of New York Times journalist Myers… [who] clearly knows his material and primary subject… Putin used the perks of power to create a complex system of cronyism and nepotism. Myers shows how Putin convinced everyone that this way of operating was part of the Russian soul and how he perpetuated it through an archaic form of Russian corruption… Myers astutely notes how Putin’s speeches increasingly harkened back to the worst period of the Cold War era’s dictates by Soviet strongmen… A highly effective portrait of a frighteningly powerful autocrat.”
–Kirkus (starred review).

The good news for Russians is Putin respects Donald Trump far more than Hillary or Obama. That’s why Putin is backing out of Syria in advance of Trump becoming President.

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