- Hardcover: 320 pages
- Publisher: PublicAffairs; 1 edition (14 Sep 2010)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 1586488023
- ISBN-13: 978-1586488024
- Product Dimensions: 23.6 x 16.3 x 2.8 cm
- Average Customer Review: 2.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 314,855 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
The New Nobility
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Review
'This compelling book is a distillation of (Soldavov & Borogan's) work on the website. Drawing on considerable research it describes how the KGB, for decades at the violent vanguard of the communist dictatorship, switched effortlessly after the fall of the Soviet Union, preserving the stability of the new ultra-capitalist Kremlin; same people, many of the same methods, different name and economic system.'
--The Sunday Times
'The New Nobility is not a work of Kremlinology. It is the product of two profoundly courageous Russian journalists who are meticulous about their reporting... It is because they are Russian and superbly professional journalists that this book offers dozens of insights that no outsider could provide.' --The Guardian
'Investigative journalists expose the tight control that the heirs to the KGB exert over Russia's politics and business.' --The Sunday Times (Must Reads)
'The New Nobility by Andrei Soldatov and Irina Borogan offers a detailed dissection of the FSB, the heir to the KGB, which still casts a long shadow over Moscow. For more than a decade the two authors have run the website Agentura.ru, a gold mine of information on the inner workings of the security services, particularly the FSB. In a country where many journalists have been attacked or killed for speaking truth to power, their reporting has been brave.'
--The Financial Times
"(An) important monograph, written by a brave and talented team."
--Literary Review
"Drawing on extensive investigations, the two journalists have written a gripping account of how veterans of the KGB seized control of the Russian state... This book paints a chilling picture of a country dominated by a power-hungry clique. Anyone who wants to understand Putin's brave new Russia should read it."
--New Statesman
"This is a thorough and very brave examination of an organization that has a tight political, commercial and economic grip on Russia."
--Financial World
--The Sunday Times
'The New Nobility is not a work of Kremlinology. It is the product of two profoundly courageous Russian journalists who are meticulous about their reporting... It is because they are Russian and superbly professional journalists that this book offers dozens of insights that no outsider could provide.' --The Guardian
'Investigative journalists expose the tight control that the heirs to the KGB exert over Russia's politics and business.' --The Sunday Times (Must Reads)
'The New Nobility by Andrei Soldatov and Irina Borogan offers a detailed dissection of the FSB, the heir to the KGB, which still casts a long shadow over Moscow. For more than a decade the two authors have run the website Agentura.ru, a gold mine of information on the inner workings of the security services, particularly the FSB. In a country where many journalists have been attacked or killed for speaking truth to power, their reporting has been brave.'
--The Financial Times
"(An) important monograph, written by a brave and talented team."
--Literary Review
"Drawing on extensive investigations, the two journalists have written a gripping account of how veterans of the KGB seized control of the Russian state... This book paints a chilling picture of a country dominated by a power-hungry clique. Anyone who wants to understand Putin's brave new Russia should read it."
--New Statesman
"This is a thorough and very brave examination of an organization that has a tight political, commercial and economic grip on Russia."
--Financial World
Review
"Kirkus Reviews," July 1, 2010
"A relentless investigation that demonstrates how, with Putin's rise, the KSB has taken its place 'at the head table of power and prestige in Russia.' "
"Wall Street Journal," September 17, 2010
"Few people are better placed than Mr. Soldatov and Ms. Borogan to write with authority on this subject. They run the website Agentura.Ru, a magpie's nest of news and analysis that presents a well-informed view of the inner workings of this secret state. Given the fates that have befallen other investigative journalists in Russia in recent years, some might fear for the authors' safety. But the publication of the ""The New Nobility"" in English is welcome; it should be essential reading for those who hold naive hopes about Russia's development or who pooh-pooh the fears of its neighbors."
"Foreign Policy," September 17, 2010
"The authors bring hard-digging, fact-based journalism to an aspect of Russia that has been hard to document and understa
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This is a very welcome contribution from Russian observers of Russian politics. It is an account of the promotion and elevation of the FSB from the abolition of the KGB to the present day. Written by two brave journalists it is well stocked with reports and examples of incidents and events to back up their main points about the growth, influence and tactics of the security service. They suggest that whilst the FSB is now central to the whole Russian State, operating as self appointed guardian of the Nation, it is in reality self-serving, backward-looking and ultimately failing.
It is written in an easy style and, whilst it catalogues some fairly hair raising stuff, it is not alarmist. It probably doesn't contain much that's new for seasoned observers of Russian politics. For example, there is little insight into the different clans in the FSB/Kremlin and the dynamics between them. Nevertheless, the book does what it says on the cover and I recommend it as a good overview.
It is written in an easy style and, whilst it catalogues some fairly hair raising stuff, it is not alarmist. It probably doesn't contain much that's new for seasoned observers of Russian politics. For example, there is little insight into the different clans in the FSB/Kremlin and the dynamics between them. Nevertheless, the book does what it says on the cover and I recommend it as a good overview.
1 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
At the time of writing the Kindle edition of this book is more expensive than the paper back. This is just ridiculous and I refused to pay for such a folly.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
6 reviews
10 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Good but flawed on a number of points
24 Oct 2010
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
The main goal of the authors is to show that the FSB like the KGB and the tsarist's secret police before it have become the means by which the Kremlin controls Russia and in this the authors are successfull.They demonstrate how Putin has consolidated the FSB from the chaotic 90s and has used it to solidify his control over the country.They show how the FSB has played a role in the political,economic and administrative life of Russia.They give details about its involvement in the North Caucausus,the spy cases over the last decade and the hostage crises in the last couple of years.However,the authors have omitted a number of details that would have been interesting and it would seem that a number of their points are erroneous.
For example,there is no mention about the FSB's role in the Yukos affair and this is important as this was a turning point for Russia where Putin and his hardline allies in the siloviki were victorious in their control of Russia over the oligarchs.There is no mention of the FSB and Organized crime or of any possible role it played in information sharing with the CIA in the invasion of Afghanistan.No mention either of the role it played in the assasinations of Chechen warlords like Khattab,Arbi Barayev,Maskhadov and Basayev.The authors also make the claim that Nord Ost was a disaster but given the fact that the rebels attempted to attain some kind of victory,that many lives were saved and that by the authors own admission ,the operation was thought to be impossible ,I dont see how this could be so.
In conclusion,if you want to get a glimpse to how Russian politics works or of the role the FSB plays in modern Russia this book will be a great guide.If you were expecting details like how Christopher ANdrew has detailed the KGB and MI5,you will be sorely disappointed.
For example,there is no mention about the FSB's role in the Yukos affair and this is important as this was a turning point for Russia where Putin and his hardline allies in the siloviki were victorious in their control of Russia over the oligarchs.There is no mention of the FSB and Organized crime or of any possible role it played in information sharing with the CIA in the invasion of Afghanistan.No mention either of the role it played in the assasinations of Chechen warlords like Khattab,Arbi Barayev,Maskhadov and Basayev.The authors also make the claim that Nord Ost was a disaster but given the fact that the rebels attempted to attain some kind of victory,that many lives were saved and that by the authors own admission ,the operation was thought to be impossible ,I dont see how this could be so.
In conclusion,if you want to get a glimpse to how Russian politics works or of the role the FSB plays in modern Russia this book will be a great guide.If you were expecting details like how Christopher ANdrew has detailed the KGB and MI5,you will be sorely disappointed.
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful
A vivid history. A must read.
24 Oct 2010
Format:Hardcover
For those looking for yet more evidence that the security services are pulling the strings in modern Russia, look no further than this extraordinary new book from the fearless journalists at agentura.ru. Soldatov (who has written for Russian Life) and Borogan have compiled a history of FSB activities and operations over the past decade that paint a very vivid picture of a security service that has become Russia's new ruling class.
Today's FSB, the authors show, is careerist, clannish, suspicious and inward looking. Oh, and ruthless and absolutely unaccountable to any democratically governed body.
With amazing accounts of some of the most significant security crises and counter-terrorist activities of the past decade, Soldatov and Borogan offer insights into FSB operations that have not been offered anywhere to date, outside perhaps the FSB and the CIA. Certainly the Russian press has offered little in this realm since Putin, Edinaya Rossiya and the FSB stepped in to fill the power vacuum left behind when the Communist Party was sucked out into space. A must read.
As reviewed in Russian Life
Today's FSB, the authors show, is careerist, clannish, suspicious and inward looking. Oh, and ruthless and absolutely unaccountable to any democratically governed body.
With amazing accounts of some of the most significant security crises and counter-terrorist activities of the past decade, Soldatov and Borogan offer insights into FSB operations that have not been offered anywhere to date, outside perhaps the FSB and the CIA. Certainly the Russian press has offered little in this realm since Putin, Edinaya Rossiya and the FSB stepped in to fill the power vacuum left behind when the Communist Party was sucked out into space. A must read.
As reviewed in Russian Life
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful
A Rush To Publish
22 April 2011
Format:Hardcover
Forget the flyleaf accolades (Basil and Spice, Sunday Times, The Guardian, Financial Times, Mother Jones). Although the book is an interesting 'read', the authors assume the non-existent rules of a chaotic blogosphere apply to traditional reportage. Not so. As a result, the tome is a collection of anecdotes, some revealing, some not. Even a disinterested reader, forced to plow through stultifying text, must raise an eyebrow when, all chapters being equal, he or she is presented with hard-edged news that the siloviki and organized Russian sport are in bed together. But wait, there's more . . . or less: the book does not connect the dots with decent organization charts, critical roadmaps to an explanation of things Byzantine. Had there been a more demanding editor, or had the authors spent just another month doing their due diligence, the book would have been better. Two stars . . . barely.
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