Penulis : Jannus TH Siahaan
Judul : Mirrors of Power Putin, Russian Politics, and Global Echoes
Ukuran : 14 x 20  cm
Halaman : 132 hlm
Tahun : 2025
Sinopsis : This book explores how Vladimir Putin’s power has never rested solely on military strength or economic resources, but on the artful use of intelligence, calculation, and narrative. From the postwar communal corridors of Leningrad, where he learned the value of toughness, through the discipline of judo, which sharpened his foresight, to his training in the KGB, Putin cultivated a keen ability to read situations, calculate risks, and transform adversity into advantage. That intelligence would later shape the Russian state itself.

Each chapter unveils a different layer of Putinism: the consolidation of loyalty within bureaucracy, the manipulation of culture and memory as instruments of legitimacy, an economy locked by sanctions yet reframed as sovereignty, and monumental projects staged as political theatre. His survival has never been accidental; it is the result of a leader who consistently turned crisis into opportunity, and weakness into a narrative of strength.

Beyond Russia’s borders, these patterns resonate on the global stage. From energy diplomacy in Europe to strategic partnerships in Asia and influence in Southeast Asia, Russia projects itself as both challenger to Western dominance and guardian of multipolar order. Yet behind this grandeur lies a paradox: authoritarianism wrapped in nostalgia, growth driven by war, and legitimacy built on the repetition of symbols, fear, and carefully staged resilience.

Blending political psychology, cultural theory, sociology, and geopolitics, the book presents Putinism as a regime of meaning rather than a fixed ideology. It is not merely the story of one man, but of how intelligence, discipline, and narrative become instruments of power in the twenty-first century.

Ultimately, this is more than a study of Russia. It is an invitation to see how similar dynamics echo worldwide. The politicization of statistics, the spectacle of grand projects, and the mobilization of nostalgia are not unique to Moscow. Putin is simply the most vivid and intelligent embodiment of a global tendency: the endurance of power through performance, calculation, and the management of meaning.