Russian Fascism and the Making of a Dictator
by Vladimir Solovyov and Elena Klepikova
Reviewed by Michael Specter
THE Russian word bespredel is a slang term that basically means "anything goes." It is often used these days to describe the lawlessness raging in Russia, the sense that life is out of control and that while freedom is great, a little order wouldn't do any harm either. Bespredel is a word one needs to have at hand when contemplating the career of Vladimir V. Zhirinovsky, the theatrically extremist leader of the Liberal Democratic Party who has so powerfully influenced the course of Russian politics over the past few years. Read more »
Michael Specter has been a staff writer at The New Yorker since 1998.
