Why Russia Has Failed to Become the West and the West is Weary of Russia

Adapted from the Russian edition, this book analyzes the dominant stereotypes and myths that formed during the Putin presidency and that continue to hamper our understanding of Russia’s current situation. Shevtsova argues that an anti-mythology campaign is needed to deepen the understanding of Russia both within the Russian Federation and in the West, as well as to help nations build better policies toward Russia.

Lilia Shevstova is a senior associate in the Russian and Eurasian program at the Carnegie Endowment, She is the author of six books, including "Yeltsin’s Russia: Myths and Reality" (Carnegie Endowment, 1999), and coeditor, with Archie Brown, of "Gorbachev, Yeltsin, and Putin: Political Leadership in Russia’s Transition" ( Carnegie Endowment, 2001)