Perfect Storm

Vladimir Putin's clash with the West, and his embrace of China, is often cast as a story of grand strategy imperial ambition. This wise and timely book by Thane Gustafson, a world expert on the geopolitics of energy, shows that it is a human tragedy too: the failure of a 30-year dream of Russian opening to Western businesses, technologies and ideas of what makes a good society. * David Rennie, Geopolitics editor and columnist, The Economist * Thane Gustafson offers a detailed appraisal of how Russia's complex relations with the West ruptured under Vladimir Putin and a clear-eyed assessment of how they might be restored beyond Putin. This deeply insightful book is a 'must read' for anyone seeking to understand the current Russian challenge and its prospects. And Gustafson proves again why he is one of the most astute and accomplished observers of modern Russia. * Fiona Hill * Russia's brief opening to the West and how it came undone by war and sanctions is a complex story of social and economic ties that now lie in ruins. Thane Gustafson masterfully explains this period with nuance and depth, and he argues that Russia's future, despite all that has happened, still one day lies with an eventual return to Europe and the West. * Tom Nichols, Staff writer at The Atlantic and Professor Emeritus, U.S. Naval War College *