PUTIN: His Life and Times.

• Author: McGibbon, Ian

PUTIN: His Life and Times

Author: Philip Short

Published by: The Bodley Head, London, 854pp, $45.

In much of the West, Russian President Vladimir Putin is universally excoriated. To John McCain he was a 'thug. Shortly after he launched his illegal aggression against neighbouring Ukraine in February last year, President Joe Biden described him as 'a war criminal, a murderous dictator ... a butcher'. For many Putin's callous disregard for international norms, his imperialist aspirations and his repressive instinct evoke memories of another reviled dictator, Adolf Hitler. But he was not always seen this way. Initially, when he rose to power in 2000 from relative obscurity, there were hopes that he would continue the liberalising approach taken by Boris Yeltsin, the first president of the Russian Federation. Such hopes were fostered by Putin's apparent willingness to follow the path delineated by his mentor.

That such hopes were dashed raises questions about Putin's true motivations. Beginning his career behind the curtain--he was a KGB officer from 1975 until 1991--he emerged during the 1990s in Saint Petersburg politics. Latching on to liberal politician Anatoly Sobchak, who was effectively mayor from 1991 to 1996, he worked his way into an increasingly influential role as adviser on international relations but eventually first deputy mayor. He claimed at first to be an administrator rather than politician, but entered the political fray in 1995 when he was elected acting chairman of a political party, though proving 'not very good at it' at first.

Following Sobchak's fall, Putin moved to Moscow to become part of Yeltsin's administration. Yeltsin would be instrumental in his rise to the top job, appointing him prime minister in 1999, then acting president in the following year. 'His rise to power', journalist Philip Short suggests, 'had been the unintended but logical consequence of his career in St Petersburg and Moscow.' Elected president in his own right later that year, Putin has retained power to the present, albeit by inserting lacky Dmitry Medvedev to the position for one term (2008-12) to meet constitutional limitations on his tenure (now removed).

Given the events of the last year, assessing the motivations of the Russian dictator is now more urgent than ever. The roots of those motivations undoubtedly lie in Putin's background. For this reason alone, the appearance of Short's impressive biography is particularly opportune. Insisting...