In essence, the USSR collapsed due to its lack of legitimacy, but a new form of legitimacy was granted by substituting the Soviet for the Russian, and State Socialism with State-sanctioned Nationalism as the "new idea". In essence, the old hands remained at the tiller where their presence was critically important. This argument is a central tenet of this book, and it is a deeply compelling argument. However, it also has the unintended side-effect of placing Mr Putin amongst the victims, particularly when he was effectively abandoned in East Germany during his time with the KGB. The term "Moscow is silent '' affected large and small alike.

Part of the popular resentment against Vladimir Putin is in large part, due to this apparent con-trick, and the elite-level backlash against the blatant criminality that tore through Russian society in the formative years of the C.I.S. The much-vaunted merits of representative democracy within the West failed to materialize due to the initial ungovernable condition of post - collapse Russia, and the requirements for a strong leader to assume control of the morass and provide stability and discipline. Boris Yeltsin couldn't complete the challenge. His protege, Vladimir Putin, has tackled the problem head-on. This is the backdrop against which the book is written, and forms the foundation for the Author's narrative throughout - the Grey Man in a suit with a contentious background and increasing power over the Country he governs.