Do you need to talk about Putin?
Join the Cosmopolitan Globalist Book Club on August 14 to explore Russia's Spookocracy.
By Rachel Motte, Houston
Vladimir Putin, writes Mark Galeotti, “has become a global symbol, which everyone defines in his own way … his aloofness allows everyone to construct their own personal Putin.” But we give Putin more credit than he deserves, Galeotti maintains. Foreign observers see in him a brilliant strategist who is handily beating us at n-dimensional chess. In reality, argues Galeotti, Putin is a tactician—a man with a gift for jumping at opportunities—but he has no master plan.
Galeotti, based in London, is a widely-celebrated lecturer and writer on Russia, its security services, and transnational crime. He was kind enough to join us for our discussion, in July, of his Short History of Russia. This time, the Book Club will be discussing We Need to Talk About Putin: How the West Gets Him Wrong.
Save the date: We’ll be meeting by Zoom on Saturday, August 14, at 15:00 GMT (That’s 16:00 London; 17:00 Paris, 19:00 Moscow; 11:00 New York; 20:30 Mumbai; and 08:00 San Francisco). Space is limited, so email cgbookgroup@gmail.com now to reserve your spot.
In We Need to Talk About Putin, Galeotti challenges common myths that shape the West’s approach to Russia. For example, he argues, while it’s true that it’s essential to understand Putin’s motivations, it is not true, as often assumed, that Putin is securely in control of his regime. “While Putin certainly controls Russia’s intelligence agencies,” he writes, “how far do they control or at least influence him in return, through the picture of the world they paint?”
If you’d like to know the answer to that question, order the book—or pick it up at your local bookstore—then join us on August 14.
What have you been reading lately? Any suggestions for the book club? Send them to us at cgbookgroup@gmail.com.
Have you written a book you’d like to discuss? Get in touch, the same way. Our inaugural meeting was a great success. We’re going to meet every month, at first, and then every week. If you’ve written a book that would interest the Cosmopolitan Globalists, be sure to let us know.
Can I read 160 pages in two weeks? And still get through Dune before the new movie comes out? I just don't know...
I thought it was interesting to see Mark Galeotti come out much more in favor of Nordsteam 2 on Twitter than the byline of the Cosmopolitan Globalist which incredibly despises the pipeline. Hoping this will come up during the discussion.