{"product_id":"weak-strongman","title":"Weak Strongman: The Limits Of Power In Putin's Russia","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eLooking beyond Putin to understand how today's Russia actually works\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMedia 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. \u003ci\u003eWeak Strongman\u003c\/i\u003e 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.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDrawing 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.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRich in personal anecdotes and cutting-edge social science, \u003ci\u003eWeak Strongman\u003c\/i\u003e offers the best evidence available about how Russia actually works.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"None","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":46235233091794,"sku":"9780691216997","price":32.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":46235233124562,"sku":"9780691212463","price":48.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Kobo eBook","offer_id":46235233157330,"sku":"aa4f1a2a-46cf-3dc9-a5af-62e809d2a4c0","price":24.99,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0655\/8980\/5233\/files\/1_463ca7af-cb43-4277-9b37-d991c236019f.jpg?v=1763679148","url":"https:\/\/www.indigo.ca\/products\/weak-strongman","provider":"Indigo","version":"1.0","type":"link"}