Summary of Mark Galeotti's We Need to Talk About Putin

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book.

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#1 There is no evidence that Putin plays chess, and in any case, it is not his sort of game. Chess is a contest of inflexible rules, transparency, and an intellectual competition where the options are strictly constrained. Putin doesn’t want to limit his options like that.

#2 Putin wants power and stability at home, and recognition abroad. He needs the Russian economy to work, and this means business with the West. But we are the main obstacle preventing him from achieving his geopolitical goals.

#3 Vladislav Surkov, who was once the choreographer of Russia’s pantomime politics, has now become Putin’s proconsul in south-eastern Ukraine.

#4 Putin’s Russia is a dependent country, relying on personal relationships and unspoken understandings to govern. Putin rarely gives direct instructions, but defines broad objectives and hints as to what he might like to happen.

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Rafbók: 24 mars 2022