Ed Lucas Warns of the New Cold War

Edward Lucas of the Economist and a friend of 25 years’ standing has written what may be one of the most readable yet exhaustively researched books on modern Russia since the end of communism. The New Cold War: Putin's Russia and the Threat to the West explains how democracy got a bad name in Russia, how the secret police have taken over the apparatus of the state and how the West needs to respond.

Mr. Lucas is quick to concede that the term “New Cold War” is less than perfectly apt. The current confrontation between Russia and the West has not yet reached antagonism of the Cuban Missile or Berlin Wall Crises. However, it is a useful shorthand to describe the frosty relations that exist. The First, Second and Third Punic Wars were dramatically different as well, but there was enough commonality to rely on similar names because the natures of the conflicts were consistent.

Having spent two decades in Eastern Europe (he was the only western journalist in Prague when the Velvet Revolution happened in the former Czechoslovakia), and having lived in Moscow during part of that time, he knows as well as any non-Russian could just what is going on. And clearly, he doesn’t like it. Critics of this book may condemn him as biased, but Mr. Lucas has always been biased in favor of human rights, personal dignity and individual freedom as well as the sanctity of the rule of law to achieve these. One suspects he would plead guilty to the charge with pride and demand to know why the Chekists in Russia aren’t equally biased.

In addition to knowing so very much, Mr. Lucas possesses a gift for the English language that makes reading some of the heavier, statistical arguments fun rather than burdensome. He makes simple observations that underscore the argument, such as “it is easy to be rich; much harder to be respectable,” before detailing the struggle of Russian businesses to develop the transparency of western operations. He is also quite British in his usage, which will at least teach American readers useful terms like “spivs in suits.”

A final factor weighing in the book’s favor is the immense value of the endnotes, 39 pages in all. Often notes just cite sources, but Mr. Lucas uses them as a platform to add color that might otherwise obscure the clarity of the main argument. For instance in discussing the former captive states of Eastern Europe, he uses his end notes to tell how he timed his application for a residency permit Prague with a major CSCE session on media accreditation – the authorities couldn’t turn him down without shooting themselves in the foot.

Mr. Lucas has been accused by some as being a Russophobe. After reading the book though, it becomes clear that his criticisms of the current set up in Russia stem not from a loathing of Russia and Russians, but rather a very deep and heartfelt love of them.

© Copyright 2008 by The Kensington Review, Jeff Myhre, PhD, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent. Produced using Fedora Linux.

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