×
![]( "Buchcover ISBN 9783838219127")
For Satter, as for Solzhenitsyn, Russia's key problem was not economic, as American and Russian reformers imagined, but spiritual and moral. He repeatedly warned of the situation we see unfolding in Ukraine today. —Gary Saul Morson, First Things
Long a thorn in Putin's side, Satter was expelled from Russia, underscoring his pivotal role in disclosing the Kremlin's deepest and darkest secrets, of which there are many. David Satter is the anti-Duranty of our times. [Walter Duranty was the New York Times's Stalin apologist and Moscow bureau chief from 1922 to 1936.] […] Taken together, [Satter's] essays give us a much-needed framework for understanding Russia under Putin: where it came from, what it is like now, and—the most difficult question of all—where it is headed. —Paul R. Gregory, Defining Ideas: A Hoover Institution Journal
In this collection, the reader not only gets a sense of the practical matters that plagued Soviet citizens but also an in-depth understanding of ideology and the chaos it has caused for decades. […] The essence of Russia is Satter's underlying theme, brilliantly presented with real knowledge and understanding of the Russian character and the horrific impact Marxist-Leninist ideology has had on it."—Emina Melonic, Law & Liberty
If David Satter’s career has shown anything, it is that even in times when it seems impossible, a true understanding of what is happening in Russia is within reach, provided one has the right moral framework and the courage to see reality as it is. —Nat Brown, National Review
Never Speak to Strangers [volume 1] is an enlightening and, in some places, downright fascinating read: a multi-genre, meticulous chronicle of the life of a vast country at the most critical moments of its history. —Andrey Shary, Radio Liberty
David Satter is one of the world’s leading commentators on Russia. The two-volume book series Never Speak to Strangers is a collection of his articles and essays. Volume two includes articles about the Russia-Ukraine war and argues that this tragic conflict was preventable. David Satter’s writings and interviews describe the psychological roots of the conflict. Picking up where the first volume left off, the second volume of Never Speak to Strangers includes material on the historical and psychological roots of Russian aggression, the Yeltsin and Putin regimes, and, in particular, Russia’s war against Ukraine. David Satter shows that change could come to Russia in the wake of a defeat in Ukraine, but external events will not be enough to divert Russia permanently from foreingn aggression and internal repression. For that, what is required is something more fundamental, a recognition that world order must be based on universal moral values and a rejection once and for all of Russia’s “special way”.
