David Patrikarakos David Patrikarakos

Putin’s mistake was to discard the velvet glove

Until this year, 21st-century dictators have generally avoided pariah status by employing spin rather than violence to pursue their ruthless aims

Putin and Chávez in Caracas in 2010. Credit: Getty Images
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  • Spin Dictators: The Changing Face of Tyranny in the 21st Century

    Sergei Guriev and Daniel Treisman

    Princeton University Press, pp. 352, £25

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