Overreach: The Inside Story of Putin and Russia’s War Against Ukraine

Book arrived in good time and looked new

Eine minutiöse Auflistung der Ereignisse mit aufschlussreichen Erläuterungen zu jedem Schritt. Auch wenn man wenig über die Ukraine und Russland wissen sollte, bringt dieses Buch mehr als nur Fakten, sondern auch ein tieferes Verständnis der Ursachen. Mutig und klar, wie immer bei Owen Matthews.

"Overreach" is enlightening not because of any novel analysis, secret information, or surprise revelations, but because of its straightforward presentation of the collective destructive march of the rump of Imperial Russia, the resentful remnants of a debased Soviet Union, and the current opportunistic elite of a kleptocratic diminished Russia, towards a war they will never win, that sucks them back into the twentieth century, and earned them the scorn of Europe for decades. I particularly liked pages 155 through 158 where Mr. Matthews describes the actors and processes in which the important decisions are made in Russia, a form of careless nepotism and intelectual inbreeding similar to a prison gang, leaving the impression that Russia is actually a criminal organization with an insipid looking flag rather than a nation state. A telling comment of the author is that Russia actually manufactures nothing that the West wants. Even their best weapons are third world trash. Basically, the war with Ukraine has ruined Russia's resource extraction based economy and they have nothing else to fall back on. A big reveal in "Overreach" is the vulnerability of the government and people to the health, whims, and mental fitness of one man, Putin. Unlike many Western nations, Russia has no plan for governmental succession or a history of peaceful political inheritance. While America may face mountains during elections, Russia faces a cliff when its dictator exceeds his shelf life, like North Korea without the rabid family and military control or China minus the entrenched party discipline. Besides religion and mock imperial history, there is no new cult manefesto, no compelling economic theory, no political planks, no party dogma, no enduring ideology, no fanatical storm troopers, no Hammer and Sickle insignia, no Red Star banner, no Mao caps, not even an iconic but unreable "Mein Kamph", nothing to pretend to hold the rudderless ship of state together. Even the armed forces stink. It will be like the 1990s all over again, every man and criminal for himself, until the next mob boss slimes his way to the top. Having said all that, I have a couple of beefs. First, there is no index. I thought that was odd for a book that begs to be re-read and researched for teaching and learning, as it is a great history of the causes and beginning of the conflict. Second, and I admit bias as an Infantryman for thirty one years, but there are no maps. Zero. Yes, I know we have the internet and atlases, but I don't want to have to read with my tablet next to me or another big book laying alongside. A few maps showing the political boundaries of Eastern Europe, the basic geography of the region, and laying out the large combat formations and major military movements of the forces involved, would have been helpful. If Crimea and the Donbas were important enough for the Russians to go to war for and kill both Ukranians and their own soldiers by the thousands, it would be nice to graphically see why somewhere in the book. Not having photos was not a big deal as most readers have a decent idea of what the principal actors look like and how badly busted Russian tanks burn, but they would have been an asset too. I am going to be bold enough to recommend reading the concluding chapter twelve FIRST ("Til Vahall") as it explains where the rest of the material is going without taking anything away from the journey. Mr. Mathews' recommendation of Woodward's "Plan of Attack" is a good one too. Russians are not the only people capable of a herd mentality, group think, and self-delusion.

No tiene pérdida, la Rusia más oscura contada de forma brillante.

Hands down.. the most biased book ever written. It’s only written with the western perspective. Not even grey. It’s completely black and white according to the author. Hard to finish. Good binding printing and overall quality though.