{"product_id":"destinies-of-deception-ant-9798349669125","title":"Destinies of Deception: Despotism, Democracies and the Modern Russian Experience","description":"\u003cp\u003eRussia has long been a threat to our national security. Shortly after the end of World War\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eII, tensions began to escalate between the United States and the Soviet Union (which was\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ecentered around Russia, hence we will use the two names interchangeably). The Cold War was a\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003edifficult period during which conflicts occurred all over the world, as we and the Russians\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003einstalled and supported proxy governments and armies. There was a serious threat of nuclear\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ewar, which was reduced thanks to the dialogue between Reagan and Gorbachev. The end of the\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ecommunist regimes in Europe led to a favorable situation that brought optimism: the threat of a\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003efuture global war was over. Russia became our partner, even participating in some NATO\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003etraining (the Partnership for Peace initiative).\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHowever, the Russians were not happy with this marginalized position. They were eager\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eto become a respected power again. Then Vladimir Putin appeared and began to pursue a policy\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eof \"strong Russia.\" Over time, he demonstrated his aim to restore the Soviet Union, but in the\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eform of an expanded Russia that would have a strong influence in world affairs. The war in\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eUkraine is the apotheosis of his plan, which was aimed at eliminating the unipolar world.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSince the beginning of the war, the American media, politicians and academic circles\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ehave been repeating that Russia is a serious threat and our task is to eliminate it. However, with\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDonald Trump's coming to power, an alternative version has emerged - that we must come to an\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eagreement with Russia and understand each other. We must show that our attitude is benevolent\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eand that it is not aimed at destroying Russia as a state and as a nation. This book aims precisely\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eto show what our attitude should be toward today's Russia, toward Putin's Russia, and to analyze the possible prospects of this attitude. To this end, however, we will delve deeper into Russian culture and soul, focusing on Eastern Orthodoxy, Russian literature and the great Russianphilosophers. Hence, the book that the reader holds in their hands is not purely political in nature, but also contains historical, religious, philosophical and cultural dimensions. The present work consists of six chapters. The first one is a historical outline that tells the story of the Russian tsardom since the time of Ivan the Terrible. As it will be shown, the history of Russia after Ivan the Terrible is a history of opposition between conservative forces (who hold on to Russian tradition) and pro-European forces (who prefer to borrow practices and ideas from the West). \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Ant\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9798349669125\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Dr. Ant\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 11\/02\/2025\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 254\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.76lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.53d","brand":"Ant","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":48175799009535,"sku":"9798349669125","price":29.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_e703d856-3481-437f-8208-8659570388ab.jpg?v=1771335975","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/destinies-of-deception-ant-9798349669125","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}