Accidental Czar

In the West’s collective imagination, Vladimir Putin is a devious cartoon villain, constantly plotting and scheming to destroy his enemies around the globe. But how did an undistinguished mid-level KGB officer become one of the most powerful leaders in Russian history? And how much of Putin’s tough-guy persona is a calculated performance?

In Accidental Czar, Andrew S. Weiss, a former White House Russia expert, and Brian “Box” Brown show how Putin has successfully cast himself as a cunning, larger-than-life political mastermind-and how the rest of the world has played into the Kremlin’s hands by treating him as one. They shatter all of these myths and expose the man behind the façade.

Author Biography

Andrew S. Weiss is the James Family Chair and Vice President for Studies at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace where he oversees research in Washington and Moscow on Russia and Eurasia. He served in various policy roles at the National Security Council, the State Department, and Pentagon during both Democratic and Republican administrations.

Box Brown is an Ignatz Award-winning cartoonist, illustrator, and comic publisher from Philadelphia. His books include the New York Times-bestselling Andre the Giant: Life and Legend, Tetris: The Games People Play, Is This Guy For Real?: The Unbelievable Andy Kaufman, Cannabis: The Illegalization of Weed in America, and Child Star. boxbrown.com