{"product_id":"russia-in-four-criminals-federico-varese-9781509563609","title":"Russia in Four Criminals","description":"\u003cp\u003eCorruption on an immense scale and the unscrupulous use of law enforcement have left indelible marks on post-Soviet Russia. Federico Varese reveals the scars of these grim decades through an unusual lens: its criminal history.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eVarese weaves together the tales of four criminals, each emblematic of a different decade and social group within the country. We encounter a traditional mobster, an oligarch, an incarcerated drug-dealer who obtained horrifying videos depicting torture behind bars, and the mastermind behind the world's most potent computer virus. In delving into their lives, we witness the transformation of Russia from the late Soviet period, through the tumultuous years of Boris Yeltsin's presidency, to the authoritarian era of Vladimir Putin. This new era, Varese shows, represents the pinnacle of a violent transition to democracy built on widespread theft, suppression of dissent, and the unholy alliance between crime and politics. The West chose to overlook these unfolding abuses, unwaveringly supporting first Yeltsin and then Putin. Now we have awakened to the grim reality, but the realization has come too late.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eRussia in Four Criminals\u003c\/i\u003e is an innovative and compelling account of one of the most tragic developments of modern history.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Federico Varese\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 1509563601\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781509563609\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Polity Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 10\/28\/2024\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 140\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReview Citation(s): \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e 10\/01\/2024","brand":"Federico Varese","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":46217287467263,"sku":"9781509563609","price":25.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_d03ca5a0-6565-46d1-b824-d9e18de062ad.jpg?v=1728514810","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/russia-in-four-criminals-federico-varese-9781509563609","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}