From Soviet to Putin and Back

by Michael J. Economides and Donna Marie D'Aleo

Under Vladimir Putin, Russia has taken a giant step backwards into its Soviet past, and nowhere is this more evident than in the realm of energy politics. Modern Russian politics and energy sources... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0615194141
• ISBN13: 9780615194141
• Release Date: April 2008
• Publisher: Energy Tribune Publishing Inc.
• Length: 464 Pages
• Weight: 0.40 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Historical and timely

One is tempted to think that a book by this title was rushed out to seize on current developments, but that's clearly not the case. This is a substantive work and the authors seem to have left no stone unturned in taking the reader through the beginning of the modern Russian (incl. Tsarist and Soviet) state, then the renaissance of sorts that Russia is, I regret to say, presently "enjoying". It combines details past and present with broad themes, all exhaustively sourced. Putin's Russia seems much less the enigma after reading this book, though it leaves me flummoxed how Europe can leave itself so exposed to Russia's well-exercised ability to engage in energy -- and therefore economic --blackmail (and about why we all continue to reject ramping up our own oil and gas production to lessen Russia's grip). Chapter 3 is a fascinating look at the role that energy played in the Soviet Union's early years, used to help it gain international acknowledgment at a time when the world largely wanted to withhold it. Then, when energy was "cheap" in the earliest post-Soviet years Russia tumbled from one of two superpowers to a geopolitical afterthought. It's clear they learned the lesson, and know how chaos benefits their desire to remain a power, even if it is now an energy power where it once was a military threat. One is no less a threat than the other and indeed, as Economides and D'Aleo show, if not thermonuclear in intensity the energy card is in a way even more a menace because it can be played subtly or aggressively, and be turned on and off so to speak, with devastating consequences. I am also reading The Terminal Spy at the moment (re: former KGB agent Litvinenko's death); that is reportage and journalistic detective work, but in combination with Economides' historical review they draw the puzzle of Putin's Russia together. I was slowly reading this book before Russia's Georgian adventure; it took on a new importance when the tanks began to roll, and the energy implications and possible -- thanks to this book I'd say certain -- energy motivations came to the fore. The West wants to circumvent Russia to some extent with Caspian resources brought to and through the Black Sea. As coincidence would have it, that requires a Georgia free of Putin's grip. So I recommend this book as an historical source, a tool to understand modern (particularly Putin's) Russia, and to provide context for events of the day.

From Soviet to Putin and Back

Michael Economides and Donna D'Aleo have produced a remarkably broad overview of Russia's oil industry and its relationship to governing and government policy from Tsar Alexander II, through the Soviet period, to Putin's terms in office. For most of this time period, oil was crucial in measuring Russia's international power. It affected her relations with her neighbors and the west and served as both an integrating factor as well as providing power to disrupt others' economies. Utilizing a wide range of published materials and their own expertise in the field, the authors show the use and misuse of the pivotal role of oil in domestic economic decision-making as well as its ramifications for foreign policy. Full of useful facts and insights, this book will prove itself essential for anyone looking for an entrepot into the world of Russian oil policy.

Very informative!

Very interesting! I enjoyed "The Color of Oil" learning so much about an industry that I thought I knew. When I saw that Dr. Economides had written a new book on Russian energy, I couldn't wait to read it. It did not disappointment. Once again, he doesn't hold back. I feel like I know so much more about Russian politics and more specifically Russian oil.