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Michael Mcfaul's Top Book Recommendations

Want to know what books Michael Mcfaul recommends on their reading list? We've researched interviews, social media posts, podcasts, and articles to build a comprehensive list of Michael Mcfaul's favorite book recommendations of all time.

1

Empire

The Russian Empire and Its Rivals

How does one empire differ from another? Why do empires rise and fall? What has made empires flourish in some eras and regions of the world but not in others? In this broad and ambitious book, Dominic Lieven explores the place and meaning of empire from ancient Rome to the present.
The central focus of the book is Russia and the rise and fall of the Tsarist and the Soviet Empires. The overwhelming majority of works on empire concentrate on the European maritime powers. Lieven’s comparative approach highlights the important role played by Russia in the expansion of Europe and its rise to...
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Recommended by Michael Mcfaul, and 1 others.

Michael McfaulI have not read that book, but Im a big fan of Professor Dominic Lieven's other books. His book, Empire. The Russian Empire and its Rivals, is great. https://t.co/CygyZPNyGP (Source)

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2
From a leading journalist in Moscow and correspondent for The New Yorker, a groundbreaking portrait of modern Russia and the inner struggles of the people who sustain Vladimir Putin's rule

"Unforgettable . . . This is a book about Putin's Russia that is unlike any other."--Patrick Radden Keefe, author of Say Nothing

In this rich and novelistic tour of contemporary Russia, Joshua Yaffa introduces readers to some of the country's most remarkable figures--from politicians and entrepreneurs to artists and historians--who have built their careers and...
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Recommended by Michael Mcfaul, and 1 others.

Michael McfaulLook what I got in the mail — @yaffaesque new fantastic book! If you want to understand Russia — all of Russia, not just Putin— buy this book. https://t.co/MsinkIyxOO (Source)

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3
The final chapter in the Penguin History of Europe series from the acclaimed scholar and author of To Hell and Back

After the overwhelming horrors of the first half of the twentieth century, described by Ian Kershaw in his previous book as being 'to Hell and back,' the years from 1950 to 2017 brought peace and relative prosperity to most of Europe. Enormous economic improvements transformed the continent. The catastrophic era of the world wars receded into an ever more distant past, though its long shadow continued to shape mentalities.

Yet Europe was now a...
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Recommended by Michael Mcfaul, and 1 others.

Michael McfaulAnother #MSC2020 takeaway — “crisis in Europe” is serious, but compared to what? Remember how tragic much of European has been; today by comparison looks pretty great! (Read Kershaws latest book to appreciate this historical perspective). (Source)

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4
Roberts describes how incomplete and porous censorship in China have an impact on information consumption in China, even when censorship is easy to circumvent. Using new methods to measure the influence of censorship and propaganda, she present a theory that explains how censorship impacts citizens' access to information and in turn why authoritarian regimes decide to use different types of censorship in different circumstances to control the spread of information. less
Recommended by Michael Mcfaul, and 1 others.

Michael McfaulJust attended a terrific talk by @mollyeroberts on her book, Censored: Distraction and Diversion inside China's Great Firewall. Get this book ! https://t.co/QxuiKiOOfd (Source)

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5

Putin v. the People

The Perilous Politics of a Divided Russia

A fascinating, bottom-up exploration of contemporary Russian politics that sheds new light on why Putin’s grip on power is more fragile then we think

What do ordinary Russians think of Putin? Who are his supporters? And why might their support now be faltering? Alive with the voices and experiences of ordinary Russians and elites alike, Sam Greene and Graeme Robertson craft a compellingly original account of contemporary Russian politics.

Telling the story of Putin’s rule through pivotal episodes such as the aftermath of the "For Fair Elections" protests, the...
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Recommended by Michael Mcfaul, and 1 others.

Michael McfaulGet this great book! Congrats @samagreene and Graeme Robertson. https://t.co/Pg4zxveYaQ (Source)

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6
From America's leading scholar of democracy, a personal, passionate call to action against the rising authoritarianism that challenges our world order--and the very value of liberty

Larry Diamond has made it his life's work to secure democracy's future by understanding its past and by advising dissidents fighting autocracy around the world. Deeply attuned to the cycles of democratic expansion and decay that determine the fates of nations, he watched with mounting unease as illiberal rulers rose in Hungary, Poland, Turkey, the Philippines, and beyond, while China and Russia...
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Recommended by Michael Mcfaul, and 1 others.

Michael McfaulHeading over to the launch @FSIStanford of this fantastic, important book — Ill Winds — by @LarryDiamond . But it now! https://t.co/4gR7wRxHMl (Source)

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7
A penetrating look into the extreme plutocracy Vladimir Putin has created and its implications for Russia’s future

This insightful study explores how the economic system Vladimir Putin has developed in Russia works to consolidate control over the country. By appointing his close associates as heads of state enterprises and by giving control of the FSB and the judiciary to his friends from the KGB, he has enriched his business friends from Saint Petersburg with preferential government deals. Thus, Putin has created a super wealthy and loyal plutocracy that owes its existence...
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Recommended by Michael Mcfaul, and 1 others.

Michael McfaulCongratulations to @anders_aslund for the release today of his new book, Russia’s Crony Capitalism: The Path from Market Economy to Kleptocracy. I've read every word & its absolutely fantastic. Order now ! https://t.co/kCXeNFJTpT (Source)

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8
In Putin’s Footsteps is Nina Khrushcheva and Jeffrey Taylory’s unique combination of travelogue, current affairs, and history, showing how Russia’s dimensions have shaped its identity and culture through the decades.

With exclusive insider status as Nikita Khrushchev’s great grand-daughter, and an ex-pat living and reporting on Russia and the Soviet Union since 1983, Nina Khrushcheva and Jeffrey Taylor offer a poignant exploration of the largest country on earth through their recreation of Vladimir Putin’s fabled New Year’s Eve speech planned across all eleven time...
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Recommended by Michael Mcfaul, and 1 others.

Michael McfaulGreat talk ! Great book. And thanks for the candy ! https://t.co/9IZPAE0Cmx (Source)

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9
New York Times Book Review
“A stout defense--indeed, the best I have read--of the Obama years."

A New York Times Bestseller


David Axelrod has always been a believer. Whether as a young journalist investigating city corruption, a campaign consultant guiding underdog candidates against entrenched orthodoxy, or as senior adviser to the president during one of the worst crises in American history, Axelrod held fast to his faith in the power of stories to unite diverse communities and ignite transformative political...
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Recommended by Michael Mcfaul, and 1 others.

Michael McfaulI know you are being snarky, but @davidaxelrod is a great person to turn to for moral guidance. Proud to have worked with him at the White House. You should get to know him before you trash him again. Start by reading his book, Believer. https://t.co/j4vlwHsY0o (Source)

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10
America is “currently fighting its second Civil War.” Partisan politics are “ripping this country apart.” The 2016 election “will go down as the most acrimonious presidential campaign of all.” Such statements have become standard fare in American politics. In a time marked by gridlock and incivility, it seems the only thing Americans can agree on is this: we’re more divided today than we’ve ever been in our history. In Unstable Majorities Morris P. Fiorina surveys American political history to reveal that, in fact, the American public is not experiencing a period of unprecedented... more
Recommended by Michael Mcfaul, and 1 others.

Michael Mcfaul@JGunlock @FDRLST Elites in what our president calls the "swamp" are hyperpolarized, but Americans citizens are not. Read Hoover Institution fellow Mo Fiorina's great book: https://t.co/XqhTyLm0vF (Source)

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Don't have time to read Michael Mcfaul's favorite books? Read Shortform summaries.

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  • Interactive exercises: apply the book's ideas to your own life with our educators' guidance.
11
The New York Times bestselling author of The Origins of Political Order offers a provocative examination of modern identity politics: its origins, its effects, and what it means for domestic and international affairs of state

In 2014, Francis Fukuyama wrote that American institutions were in decay, as the state was progressively captured by powerful interest groups. Two years later, his predictions were borne out by the rise to power of a series of political outsiders whose economic nationalism and authoritarian tendencies threatened to destabilize the entire...
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Recommended by Bill Gates, Michael Mcfaul, and 2 others.

Bill Gates[On Bill Gates's reading list in 2018.] (Source)

Michael McfaulHeard a fantastic presentation today by @FukuyamaFrancis on his new book, Identity. Buy this book ! https://t.co/gzqBI7dV7d (Source)

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12

How Democracies Die

What History Reveals About Our Future

Donald Trump's presidency has raised a question that many of us never thought we'd be asking: Is our democracy in danger? Harvard professors Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt have spent more than twenty years studying the breakdown of democracies in Europe and Latin America, and they believe the answer is yes. Democracy no longer ends with a bang--in a revolution or military coup--but with a whimper: the slow, steady weakening of critical institutions, such as the judiciary and the press, and the gradual erosion of long-standing political norms. The good news is that there are several exit... more

Barack ObamaAs 2018 draws to a close, I’m continuing a favorite tradition of mine and sharing my year-end lists. It gives me a moment to pause and reflect on the year through the books I found most thought-provoking, inspiring, or just plain loved. It also gives me a chance to highlight talented authors – some who are household names and others who you may not have heard of before. Here’s my best of 2018... (Source)

Michael McfaulNothing more I’d rather have than a book endorsement from @SteveKerr ! And it is a great book. https://t.co/i9XCw5H9YX (Source)

Steve KerrAdd this to your summer reading list. Great book. https://t.co/5OFnC2vskM (Source)

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13
From America's "secret diplomatic weapon" (The Atlantic), comes a memoir of service for five Presidents and ten Secretaries of State, an impassioned argument for renewing diplomacy as the tool of first resort in American statecraft.

Ambassador William J. Burns is the most distinguished and admired American diplomat of his generation. Over the course of four decades, he played a central role in the most consequential diplomatic episodes of his time--from the bloodless end of the Cold War to post-Cold War relations with Putin's Russia, from post-9/11 tumult in the...
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Recommended by Jim Himes, Michael Mcfaul, and 2 others.

Jim HimesThis is enormously disappointing. Bill Burns may very well be the least “crazy” person in Washington. His book “The Back Channel” is a must read for those interested in foreign policy. https://t.co/HN0rn5TLPT (Source)

Michael McfaulWant to read the best book on diplomacy published in a long while, get Bill Burn's Back Channel. https://t.co/v2HSsJ5w0i (Source)

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14
Fake news posts and Twitter trolls were just the beginning. What will happen when misinformation moves from our social media feeds into our everyday lives?
Online disinformation stormed our political process in 2016 and has only worsened since. Yet as Samuel Woolley shows in this urgent book, it may pale in comparison to what's to come: humanlike automated voice systems, machine learning, "deepfake" AI-edited videos and images, interactive memes, virtual reality, and more. These technologies have the power not just to manipulate our politics, but to make us doubt our eyes and ears...
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Recommended by Davey Alba, Michael Mcfaul, and 2 others.

Davey Alba@samuelwoolley Also buy Sam’s book, THE REALITY GAME. It’s fantastic! https://t.co/5PyMlpl7Aa (Source)

Michael McfaulThis is great book ! Go to this event and/or buy The Reality Game ! https://t.co/vpCv0AEv2I (Source)

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Don't have time to read Michael Mcfaul's favorite books? Read Shortform summaries.

Shortform summaries help you learn 10x faster by:

  • Being comprehensive: you learn the most important points in the book
  • Cutting out the fluff: you focus your time on what's important to know
  • Interactive exercises: apply the book's ideas to your own life with our educators' guidance.