"Lendvai draws on his vast experience and clear, crisp prose to skewer the naïve, duplicitous and hypocritical politicians of our age. He is a shining beacon for anybody who cares about democracy and truth." -- Misha Glenny, author of McMafia and The Fall of Yugoslavia"A major reckoning with Western Europe's policies towards Vladimir Putin . [There is] recognizable emotion behind [Lendvai's] analysis--densely packed with facts, figures and quotes . Why did it take so long for the West to understand the true nature of Putinism? Lendvai reaches far into the past in search of answers . he shows . the world as it is." -- Süddeutsche Zeitung"Lendvai has a rare journalistic gift: not only can he analyze a situation, but he can tell a story.

After decades of brilliant foreign policy journalism, he vividly describes his many experiences . showing their significance in context . Why were so many Western politicians and intellectuals, from left and right, so mistaken about the nature of the Russian regime, and especially Putin? Lendvai provides a profound explanation . The chapter on . the Yugoslav state collapse is . well worth reading--and a treat for those who worshipped Sebastian Kurz." -- Der Standard (Austria)"Lendvai doesn't just castigate political parties; he also takes aim at . leading businesses .

[in] his panorama of hypocrisy . Lendvai has no remedy. Nevertheless, he is . a [seasoned] traveler of the turbulent twentieth century, [who] knows that people want to be deceived. This was already the case in 1580, when Montaigne wrote: "What we call truth today is not what is true, but what one can persuade others to believe."" -- Neue Zürcher Zeitung.