Comments (3)

• Judith Armstrong is quite correct to point out that Khodorkovsky supported the liberal cause. This was both before his arrest, in his financial backing of the liberal opposition in the Duma (as I said in my review); and afterwards in jail, when his writings won plaudits from many sources. But despite this support for liberalism Khodorkovsky’s stance, including his comments that he is not ‘especially a liberal’, that he is ‘for a strong state’, and that it was necessary for former state assets like Yukos to be sold for ‘symbolic prices’ (all quotes from Sakwa's book), is sufficiently nuanced to require a longer analysis than a short review format permitted. And however inspirational his views, Russians – even liberal ones - must wonder whether they would have been better off had Khodorkovsky and his fellow oligarchs not got their hands on Russia’s national wealth for ‘symbolic prices’.
  Posted by Nick Hordern

  29 August 2014
• I was very disappointed that the review 'Putin and the Kleptocrats' gave such a misleading impression of Mikhail Khodorkovsky. The reviewer seemed to have no idea of Khodorkovsky's Damascene moments when he began to understand and adhere to the (small l) liberal underpinnings of a civil society, working on many fronts, and of course against the odds, to try to establish it in Russia. Yes, he was imprisoned, but that did not stop him becoming an iconic inspiration, as Richard Sakwa demonstrates but Mr Hordern bypasses. There is much talk of people underestimating others in this review, but in this case the reviewer has vastly underestimated one of the main subjects, as though Khodorkovsky were no different from the other oligarchs. As if!
  Posted by Judith Armstrong

  29 August 2014
• Hey Nick
  
  Great review. Long time no hear.
  Posted by David Leitch

  11 August 2014