Weak Strongman : : The Limits of Power in Putin's Russia / / Timothy Frye.

• Superior document: Title is part of eBook package: De Gruyter EBOOK PACKAGE COMPLETE 2021 English
• VerfasserIn: Frye, Timothy,
• Place / Publishing House: Princeton, NJ : : Princeton University Press, , [2021]; ©2021
• Year of Publication: 2021
• Language: English
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (288 p.)

Why we need to look beyond Putin to understand how today's Russia actually worksMedia and public discussion tends to understand Russian politics as a direct reflection of Vladimir Putin's seeming omnipotence or Russia's unique history and culture. Yet Russia is remarkably similar to other autocracies—and recognizing this illuminates the inherent limits to Putin's power. Weak Strongman challenges the conventional wisdom about Putin's Russia, highlighting the difficult trade-offs that confront the Kremlin on issues ranging from election fraud and repression to propaganda and foreign policy.Drawing on three decades of his own on-the-ground experience and research as well as insights from a new generation of social scientists that have received little attention outside academia, Timothy Frye reveals how much we overlook about today's Russia when we focus solely on Putin or Russian exceptionalism. Frye brings a new understanding to a host of crucial questions: How popular is Putin? Is Russian propaganda effective? Why are relations with the West so fraught? Can Russian cyber warriors really swing foreign elections? In answering these and other questions, Frye offers a highly accessible reassessment of Russian politics that highlights the challenges of governing Russia and the nature of modern autocracy.Rich in personal anecdotes and cutting-edge social science, Weak Strongman offers the best evidence available about how Russia actually works.

Table of Contents

Frontmatter -- Contents -- Preface -- Weak strongman -- 1 Information Warrior -- 2 Putinology and Exceptional Russia -- 3 The Autocrat’s Dilemmas -- 4 Better to Be Feared and Loved: President Putin’s Popularity -- 5 The Surprising Importance of Russia’s Manipulated Elections -- 6 Neither as Strong nor as Weak as It Looks: Russia’s Economy -- 7 Hitting Them with Carrots: The Role of Repression -- 8 Mysterious Ways: Media Manipulation at Home -- 9 Great Power Posing: Russian Foreign Policy -- 10 Why Russia Hacks: Digital Persuasion and Coercion Abroad -- 11 Conclusion: The Death of Expertise -- Acknowledgments -- Notes -- Index -- A NOTE ON THE TYPE