Review of "Accidental Czar: The Life and Lies of Vladimir Putin," by Andrew S. Weiss and Brian Brown

 Review of

Accidental Czar: The Life and Lies of Vladimir Putin, by Andrew S. Weiss and Brian Brown, ISBN 9781250760753

Five out of five stars

Should be mandatory reading for decision makers

 This book should be required reading for all government decision makers in the western world. It should also be strongly recommended for all voters in the United States. Using the format of a graphic novel, the authors provide one of the most important history lessons available today.

 The book is a chronicle of the rise of a low-level functionary in the Soviet security apparatus to what is the modern-day equivalent of the Czar of all the Russians. That person is of course Vladimir Putin, the undisputed dictator of Russia. From his humble beginnings in the HR department of the KGB and shadowing people whose actions were questionable, Putin witnessed the disintegration of the Soviet Empire and the sudden collapse of the Soviet Union into a collection of independent states.

 The chronicle of Putin’s actions when he first took power in Russia and projected the persona of “a man we can deal with,” is put forward. He met with the leaders of the western countries, and they were generally impressed with him. None more than U. S. President George W. Bush, who said of him, “I looked the man in the eye. I found him to be very straightforward and trustworthy.”

 This is also a brief lesson in Russian history, which has a very strong influence on the Russian psyche. Democratic values are largely alien to the Russian mind and that fact was largely unappreciated in the west after the demise of the Soviet Union. The country quickly degenerated into one that was ruled by criminal enterprises until Putin achieved power and effectively organized them.

 Some of the most fascinating sections of the book are descriptions of how the Russian operatives under Putin have attempted to manipulate the American public consciousness as well as some political figures. One of the least known contacts were with Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein. She made openly pro-Russia comments and sat at the same table as Michael Flynn and Vladimir Putin at a birthday gala dinner.

 Andrew Weiss in a former White House expert on Russia, he was present during some of the phone calls between the American president and Putin. Therefore, he has firsthand knowledge of the words and tactics used by Vladimir Putin. While the title is a bit overblown in the use of the word “accidental,” the second word “Czar’ is very true. The tactics used by Putin to seize and continue to hold absolute power is consistent with the actions of centuries of Russian and Soviet leaders.

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