From TV broadcaster Lou Dobbs, an international financial thriller about a KGB plot to use a series of terrorist attacks as cover for a Russian military incursion into Estonia

From TV broadcaster Lou Dobbs and award-winning author James O. Born comes Putin's Gambit, an international financial thriller about a KGB plot to use a series of terrorist attacks as cover for a Russian military incursion into Estonia. Adjusting to civilian life has not been easy for former Marine Derek Walsh. As he navigates a brutal job on Wall Street and a challenging romance, he wonders if he could be doing more with his life. When an inexplicable $200 million dollar money transfer is made on his computer, he is thrust into the world of international terror, and the global economy is knocked off its hinges. On the other side of the Atlantic, a dangerous alliance has formed. Radical Islamists and Russian extremists have set the wheels in motion for Russia to assert its power in Europe. The US President has proven to be weak on foreign policy, the military is stretched too thin, and Vladimir Putin judges this to be the time for Russia to regain its Soviet Empire. Troops mass on the Estonian border, waiting for the order to move. The FBI believes Walsh was involved in the money transfer, and a group of Russians are intent on killing him. As New Yorkers are outraged upon learning of the illegal money transfer, and the world economy crashes after a series of terrorist attacks, Walsh and his Marine buddies are the only ones that can keep the world from spinning off its axis. At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Empire, Revolution, and the New Tsar Is Russia in the hands of a lunatic? Ever since Vladimir Putin’s presidential incarnation, pundits and political analysts have asked this question with increasing frequency. Known for his aggressive politics abroad, and irresponsible despotism domestically, the leader of the world’s largest nation holds seemingly limitless control over his people. But Putin is only the latest face of Russian political power: understanding his rule means understanding Russia. In Russia: Putin’s Playground, Anastasia Edel explores the tumultuous relationship between the Russian state and its people, and traces Russia’s history from its inception through Putin's controversial rule. In a series of short and punchy articles, Putin’s Playground examines every facet of Russian life and culture―from literature to oligarchs including Peter the Great to punk protesters Pussy Riot.

History is not just a study of past events, but a product and an idea for the modernisation and consolidation of the nation. ‘The Use of History in Putin’s Russia’ examines how the past is perceived in contemporary Russia and analyses the ways in which the Russian state uses history to create a broad coalition of consensus and forge a new national identity. Central to issues of governance and national identity, the Russian state utilises history for the purpose of state-building and reviving Russia’s national consciousness in the twenty-first century. Assessing how history mediates the complex relationship between state and population, this book analyses the selection process of constructing and recycling a preferred historical narrative to create loyal, patriotic citizens, ultimately aiding its modernisation. Different historical spheres of Russian life are analysed in-depth including areas of culture, politics, education, and anniversaries. The past is not just a state matter, a socio-political issue linked to the modernisation process, containing many paradoxes. This book has wide-ranging appeal, not only for professors and students specialising in Russia and the former Soviet Space in the fields of History and Memory, International Relations, Educational Studies, and Intercultural Communication but also for policymakers and think-tanks.

Rise of the Revisionists: Russia, China, and Iran is a five-essay volume, edited by the American Enterprise Institute’s Gary J. Schmitt, that examines the three rising powers as they challenge the US and the global order in three critical regions of the world. Essays by the American Enterprise Institute’s Frederick W. Kagan on Russia and Dan Blumenthal on China and by Foundation for the Defense of Democracies Senior Fellow Reuel Marc Gerecht on Iran analyze the historical roots of each country’s ambitions, their strategic goals, and possible US policies for meeting the challenges and threats posed by each. Those essays are framed by an introduction by Gary Schmitt that places the tests facing the US foreign policy in a broader strategic framework and by a concluding essay by Hudson Institute Scholar Walter Russell Mead that looks to the Father of History, Thucydides, to provide insight into the complex set of domestic and foreign realities that shape American statecraft in this most challenging time.

An urgent analysis of the battle between Russia and the West and an exposé of Putin’s Russia, by a former Kremlin insider. "I'm a fairly calm fellow; I don't usually get wound up about things. But I was, let's say, concerned when I tuned into the Moscow Echo radio station and heard that the Kremlin had put a price on my head. The announcement didn't quite say 'dead or alive'. But it came close..." —Mikhail Khodorkovsky, March 2021 Mikhail Khodorkovsky has seen behind the mask of Vladimir Putin. Once an oil tycoon and the richest man in Russia, Khodorkovsky spoke out against the corruption of Putin's regime—and was punished by the Kremlin, stripped of his entire wealth and jailed for over ten years. Now freed, working as a pro-democracy campaigner in enforced exile, Khodorkovsky brings us the insider's battle to save his country's soul. Offering an urgent analysis of what has gone wrong with Putin, The Russia Conundrum maps the country's rise and fall against Khodorkovsky's own journey, from Soviet youth to international oil executive, powerful insider to political dissident, and now a high-profile voice seeking to reconcile East and West. With unparalleled insight, written with Sunday Times bestselling author Martin Sixsmith, The Russia Conundrum exposes the desires and damning truths of Putin's "mafia clan," and provides an answer to the West on how it must challenge the Kremlin—in order to pave the way for a better future.

The epic tale of Vladimir Putin's path to power, as he emerged from obscurity to become one of the world's most important and dangerous leaders. Former New York Times Moscow Bureau Chief Steven Lee Myers has followed Putin since well before the recent events in the Ukraine, and gives us the fullest and most engaging account available of his rise to power. A gripping, page-turning narrative about Russian power and prestige, the book depicts a cool and calculating leader with enormous ambition and few scruples. As the world struggles to confront a newly assertive Russia, the importance of understanding Putin has never been greater. Vladimir Putin rose out of Soviet deprivation to the pinnacle of influence in the new Russian nation. He came to office in 2000 as a reformer, cutting taxes and expanding property rights, bringing a measure of order and eventually prosperity to millions whose only experience of democracy in the early years following the Soviet collapse was instability, poverty and criminality. On the other, Putin has ushered in a new authoritarianism - unyielding in its brutal repression of dissent and newly assertive politically and militarily in regions like Crimea and the Middle East. The New Tsar is a staggering achievement, a deeply researched and essential biography of one of the most important and destabilising world leaders in recent history, a man whose merciless rule has become inextricably bound to Russia's foreseeable future.

'This could be the funniest business book you'll read all year.' Australian Financial Review 'If you want a two-word review – it’s great.' Financial Times Why Politicians Lie About Trade reveals how international trade really works and the compromises and deals nations must make to take part in the greatest commercial show on earth. With clear writing and lively case studies, a former trade negotiator takes readers on an often humorous tour of the shadowy workings of the agreements, tariffs, taxes and disputes that characterise this $32 trillion-a-year machine. Dmitry Grozoubinski reveals the underlying political and geographical forces that shape the impact of trade on topics as diverse and important as food, jobs, gender, conflict and climate change. And he reveals what politicians cover up about the system – and why it matters. Why Politicians Lie About Trade lights up a little-understood network that runs our world with brevity and humour.It contains everything you need to know about international trade and is an ideal companion to titles which explain commerce such as the Undercover Economist, Taxtopia and Freakonomics. This book has been enthusiastically recommended by serious publications such as the Financial Times and the World Trade Review and popular authors such as Ian Dunt and James O'Brien. Ian Dunt wrote: 'I laughed more than I do in most comedies. I learned more than I do from the news.' Reviews 'For some time, there has been a clear gap in the market for a guide to trade policy to help those with an interest to gain a better understanding of this important field and enable them to engage more actively in trade policy debates. Dmitry Grozoubinski’s Why Politicians Lie About Trade fits the bill admirably.' Justin Brown, the Lowy Institute 'An absolute masterclass in how to communicate complex information simply and compellingly. You will come out of it far more knowledgeable than you went in, and shielded from some of the more egregious deceit politicians want to inflict on you. You'll also laugh out loud.' Ian Dunt, author of How Westminster Works 'Enraging & enlightening in equal measure. And the measure is absolutely enormous.' James O'Brien, author of How They Broke Britain 'Written by a former trade negotiator who has trained many British diplomats, this book is authoritative, yet – and here’s the strange part – actually fun to read. Dmitry Grozoubinski has a rare knack for explaining complex information in an accessible and light-hearted way.' Richard Baldwin, Professor of International Economics 'Writing a 300-page book on international trade policy issues in a way that is not only accessible but also entertaining would be a serious challenge for most authors. Dmitry Grozoubinski’s new book rises to that challenge.' Chris Horseman, Bordelex 'If you want a two-word review, it’s great. It describes official myths and distortions, from overselling trade deals to claiming distance no longer matters in trade to saying corporations control the world by infiltrating the WTO.' Alan Beattie, Financial Times 'Much of the book’s strength lies in its language. It largely avoids technical and academic-style terminology, and the content is presented with a wry and sometimes mischievous sense of humour. This approach makes even the most arcane and obscure parts of the book engaging.' Justin Brown, the Lowy Institute Introduction I am very sorry. I once led a trade negotiation so impenetrably dull and infuriating my boss said our top priority was to ensure he never had to explain it to our trade minister. I am fully aware the average human being would rather eat a broken glass salad than read about the small print of a World Trade Organization tariff schedule. I get it. Unfortunately, trade is important and important people keep lying to us about it. In fact, the very fact that important people lie to us about it proves its importance, and its importance is probably what compels those people – let’s call them politicians, though that does leave some liars out – to lie about it. As technology speeds up the global flow of goods, services, money and ideas, trade policy is growing in importance. Growing, too, is the role of trade in politics, where it is increasingly used as a bludgeon to batter the opposition, or as a magical unicorn that can be ridden to peace and prosperity at no cost to any voter. Tragically, the truth of all this is that while you may have chosen to take little interest in trade policy, trade policy is increasingly taking an interest in you. In the 2020s, trade touches on almost every aspect of our lives and almost all of our passions. Understanding this web of trading connections and the debate over how governments should organise it may no longer be optional. The good news is that participation in the public debate on trade’s contribution to the things you care about (such as, say, your industry, business, wealth, food, health and our air, rivers and climate) doesn’t require you to be a tenured professor of international economics or to have adopted a favourite treaty footnote. Instead, to have a working idea of international trade and its critical role in your life and in the affairs of your nation, you need only an awareness of the general shape of matters: How do things work? Who are the players? What are the competing interests? What questions should I be asking? So while you don’t need to know the details, you need to know that there are details, and how they could be important. That shields you from opportunistic politicians relying on the density of the subject matter to peddle easy answers, simple narratives and misleading twaddle. Moreover, it can also equip you with the right questions to puncture the inflated rhetoric of political chancers. That’s what I hope to achieve with this book. I’m still sorry, though. Carry on reading and buy the book

This groundbreaking book explores how adversaries in world politics can surmount their differences and disputes and start on the path to peaceful, mutually productive relations. Writing with authority and clarity, Mel Gurtov defines the strategy of deep engagement, examines how it progressed under President Obama with Cuba and Iran, and probes its potential for US–Russian and US–North Korean relations and other critical hotspots. At the core of the book are case studies that highlight the strategy and practice of engagement in both successful and failed efforts. Showing that domestic political obstacles turn out to be more formidable than strategic interests when national leaders seek to engage adversaries, Gurtov draws lessons for diplomacy in ways to engage, such as practicing mutual respect, paying attention to symbols, and using incentives rather than sanctions. At a time when use of force remains the main way governments pursue their interests, Engaging Adversaries is a timely appeal to diplomacy and a reminder that a multitude of ways exist for adversaries to find common ground.