I got this from Johnson's Russia List.
Subject: Remembering Paul Klebnikov-CBS Report 4/30, Website
Tomorrow, on Saturday April 30th, at 10 PM (ET) CBS 48 Hours is
broadcasting an hour-long special on Paul Klebnikov's life and death,
called "The Man Who Knew Too Much". Paul (Pavel) Klebnikov, an American
journalist and editor-in-chief of Forbes Russia who was shot nine times on
July 9, 2004, in a contract killing as he left Forbes magazine's Moscow
headquarters. Klebnikov shocked many Russians when he published a list of
the 100 wealthiest Russians, complete with financial details. He also made
many potential enemies publishing his book about Berezovsky called
"Godfather of the Kremlin." In his most recent book, "Conversation with a
Barbarian," Klebnikov addressed the Chechen conflict. Just before he was
killed, Klebnikov was probing corruption in Moscow's real estate business
and investigating perhaps the most risky business of all, the auto industry
of Togliatti and a murder of another journalist, Vlad Listijev who had
exposed fraud at Togliatti years ago. In addition, there is a web site
which has a handful of family photos of Paul, as well as a video
introduction to the story airing Saturday evening.
This is a book review I wrote for "Godfather of the Kremlin":
Godfather of the Kremlin: The Decline of Russia in the Age of Gangster Capitalism
Paul Klebnikov
New York: Harcourt, Inc, 2000, pp. 354
To understand post-Communist Russia now we must understand its past. The cultural, political, social and economic inertia that accumulated during seventy years of Communist rule are important factors that continue to play a role in its democratic transition. The late Paul Klebnikov gives his readers a glimpse into the shady and very dangerous aspects of Russia’s era of privatization. The early 1990s marked a new beginning for Russia, but it seemed that old habits of crime and corruption would die hard. Russia in this period has often been called the “Wild East” for its dangerous mix of organized crime, political cronyism and fantastic business deals forged overnight, oftentimes amounting to billions of dollars.
The state in this period was attempting to transfer state-owned enterprises into the hands of private entrepreneurs in the hopes of embracing the calling of the market economy. Klebnikov outlines how Boris Berezovsky, the Godfather of the Kremlin and thus the main protagonist, emerges as the symbol of the “new Russian businessman”. Plucked from obscurity, Berezovsky manages to find his way into King Nero’s palace and become one of Russia’s new millionaires as well as one of its most wanted men. A dangerous mix of wealth and violence become part of his new life. In so doing, Klebnikov attempts to make sense of the initial stages of Russia’s transformation where it seemed that everything and everyone was for sale.
The book is a chronology of events that starts with the collapse of the old regime, through to the trader’s paradise, the lucrative selling of the country for vouchers, the great mob war and the emergence of the oligarchs on Russia’s political landscape. The author is skillful in illustrating the rise of gangster capitalism and the opportunities that arose for getting rich quick. He allows the reader to become part of his rollercoaster ride of adventures as he talks with several well-informed and very dangerous members of organized crime. As the reader listens in on some of the most candid conversations, the reader can’t help but have a bit of admiration for someone who was willing to ask sensitive questions to individuals so heavily involved in such lucrative and risky schemes.
Klebnikov chronicles how state enterprises and natural resources were sold for bargain prices while the rest of the Russian population combats starvation, homelessness and destitution. Klebnikov is quick to demonstrate that this was not the era of the “robber baron”. This observation stands contrary to some student’s impression that this is the natural evolution of market economics, similar to the America’s rise to economic greatness in the early nineteenth century. Russia’s new businessmen did not reinvest in the economy, but rather placed huge sums of money in bank accounts out of the country. They were not robber barons but simply robbers. The author pays close attention to details and the extent to which networks of influence and power reached the highest echelons of the Yeltsin government. The reader gains valuable background knowledge about this wild period in Russia’s transformation, the decline of Russia and the rise of gangster capitalism.
To gain a deeper appreciation of post-Communist Russia in the early 1990s, it is best to accompany this book with other texts that take an institutional and historical approach. It is important for students of post-Communist politics to learn about how the weakness of the judiciary and law enforcement agencies contributed to a rise in crime in post-Communist Russia. The presence of government corruption, clientelism and cronyism so powerfully depicted in the novel can also be greatly appreciated by supplemental readings on the organization and habits of the Communist party that continue to linger.
This book is rich in detail with candid interviews and insider information about the decline of Russia and is a valuable source of information on Russia’s first years with its democratic experiment. The recent assassination of Paul Klebnikov in Moscow reminds us of the importance of his work as it continues to bring relevance to the gangsterism and crime that has grasped Russia. He wrote vividly about contract killings and now he is himself such a victim. Klebnikov’s book is especially important in making sense of the present post-Communist Russia and how this once greatly feared state has disintegrated, leaving all its weaknesses exposed and itself engulfed by fear and uncertainty.
