Jan Matti Dollbaum - Navalny: Putins Nemesis, Russias Future?

Alexei Navalnys media image is black-and-white: for the West, a persecuted hero; for the Kremlin, an arch-enemy of the state. This book fills in crucial shades of grey, especially on the question of whether Navalny is a nationalist. Sprinkled throughoutastute observations on what draws Russians to his protests and how the government uses selective repression to keep them at home. A detailed examination of Russias most famous opposition activist, politician, and protesterand why the Kremlin wants to silence him.

Jill Dougherty, Global Fellow at the Kennan Institute, and former CNN Foreign Affairs Correspondent and Moscow Bureau Chief

Demonised, harassed, poisoned, arrested, imprisoned: Alexei Navalny is not only Putins most persistent and arguably bravest critic, but as this eye-opening and very readable book demonstrates, he proves the growing hunger for change in todays Russia.

Mark Galeotti, author of We Need To Talk About Putin

For anyone who wants to know who Alexei Navalny is, what drives him, and what his ultimate goal is, this well-researched and in-depth new biography of Russias most famous dissident tells the story of the man who has managed to rattle Putin more than any other threat.

Bianna Golodryga, Senior Global Affairs Analyst, CNN

Perhaps the only Russian politician shrouded in more myth than Vladimir Putin is Alexei Navalny. Hounded by a range of varyingly dubious descriptorsfrom courageous democratiser to retrograde chauvinist and everything in betweenthe truth of the man who has emerged as the leader of Russias beleaguered opposition is largely an untold story. Untold, that is, until now. With equal measures of depth, nuance, and flair, Dollbaum, Lallouet, and Noble have produced the definitive political biography of arguably the most consequential figure in Russian politics today. Anyone who cares about the future of Russian politics needs to read this book.

Samuel Greene, Professor of Russian Politics, Kings College London

This book is a timely and expertly-written biographical and political analysis of Alexei Navalny as the emergent force to be reckoned with in Russian politicsvery appropriately produced by three rising stars in European academia and foreign affairs. The authors deploy their formidable collective talents to delve into and explain the specifically Russian context of Navalnys brand of activism. They provide a critical commentary on his personality and popularity, including the reactions he elicits from those who know and work with him, or follow his lead. This is not just a book about Navalnys struggles with the Kremlin, it is the essential primer for anyone outside Russia trying to understand this astonishingly brave and complicated man and the role he plays in contemporary Russia.

Fiona Hill, Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution, and former advisor on Europe and Russia, US National Security Council

A clear, accessible account of one of President Putins most prominent opponents, Alexei Navalny; a balanced overview to help the general reader make sense of the seething political undercurrents in Russia today.

Bridget Kendall, Master of Peterhouse, Cambridge, and former BBC Diplomatic Correspondent

At a moment when Alexei Navalny has emerged as a global figure in his fight from captivity for Russian democracy, Jan Matti Dollbaum, Morvan Lallouet, and Ben Noble have provided the world with a tremendous service by writing the first comprehensive account of the countrys most important opposition leader. Filled with facts and devoid of hyperbole, the book offers a complete portrayal of Navalny, as an anti-corruption activist, politician, and protester. Navalny: Putins Nemesis, Russias Future? is a must read for anyone who wants to learn what Alexei Navalny actually does and believes, and what he might do to shape Russias future.

Michael McFaul, author of From Cold War to Hot Peace: An American Ambassador in Putins Russia

The story of Alexei Navalny is, in part, the unfinished story of David and Goliath: the story of how a bold, creative, and purposeful man repeatedly outplayed the huge state machine. Navalnys fight with a team of like-minded people for the wonderful Russia of the future is by definition an optimistic view of the countrys development prospects. Rarely does a book written about Russia by Western authors combine a deep and subtle knowledge of developments in the country with such accuracy and timeliness. But that is exactly what this book does. Having provided a complex, multidimensional portrait of Navalny, the authors have also written a comprehensive and essential book on Russian political lifeand one not limited to Moscow, but showing the country in its regional diversity, replete with interesting details and presented in very accessible language.

Nikolay Petrov, Senior Research Fellow of the Russia and Eurasia Programme at Chatham House, and Professor in the Department of Political Science at the Higher School of Economics, Moscow

A brilliant and highly readable analysis of the most compelling political figure to emerge from Russia in many years. The authors explain who Navalny is, what he stands for, and why he matters. In an era when authoritarianism and strongman politics are advancing all over the world, Navalny is a figure of global significance.

Gideon Rachman, Chief Foreign Affairs Commentator, Financial Times

Essential reading for anyone interested in the present and future of Russia. This book is less a biography than a primer on the central battle in Russian politics todaythe battle, in Navalnys own words, between good and neutrality. Written in a direct and accessible style by three rising stars of Russian studies, the story is organised around Navalny the anti-corruption activist, the politician, and the protester and uses each of these lenses to draw a sophisticated portrait of the economy, politics, and society in Russia today. While always retaining a sharp and critical eye on its main subject with close readings of the historical record, Navalny is nonetheless a story of the personal heroism and political strategies of Alexei Navalny, his team, and the many other brave people taking huge personal risks to fight corruption and promote democracy in Russia today.

Graeme Robertson, Professor of Political Science, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

A timely and important study of the man, the movement, and the context, based on detailed analysis and balanced judgement. An indispensable contribution to our understanding of contemporary Russian politics.

Richard Sakwa, Professor of Russian and European Politics, University of Kent, and author of The Putin Paradox

This timely book tells the complex story of Navalny in an accessible conversational style. The trio behind this studyall academics with longstanding Russia expertisediscuss Navalny as an activist, a politician, and a protester and clearly situate him in his wider political and societal context. The book deserves a wide readership, as it furthers a more nuanced understanding of Navalny and contemporary Russia.

Gwendolyn Sasse, Professor and Director of the Centre for East European and International Studies (ZOiS), Berlin

A refreshingly meticulous and detail-filled investigation of a compelling political drama that unfolds across the pages. Readers accustomed to a Putin-centric view of Russian politicswith few actors on stage beyond the presidentwill likely find a very different take on Russian civil society and the countrys political milieu in this book. Even if it does not give a final answer to the Navalny questionsomething that would, anyway, be impossible at this stagethe book has the great merit of presenting to an English-reading public an analytical account of the people and processes that are nothing if not complicated in modern-day Russia.