From Cold War to Hot Peace: An American Ambassador in Putin’s Russia

Michael McFaul

Jun 2018 · Highbridge Audio · Narrated by L.J. Ganser

About this audiobook

In 2008, when Michael McFaul was asked to leave his perch at Stanford and join an unlikely presidential campaign, he had no idea that he would find himself at the beating heart of one of today's most contentious and consequential international relationships. As President Barack Obama's adviser on Russian affairs, McFaul helped craft the United States' policy known as "reset" that fostered new and unprecedented collaboration between the two countries. And then, as U.S. ambassador to Russia from 2012 to 2014, he had a front-row seat when this fleeting, hopeful moment crumbled with Vladimir Putin's return to the presidency. This riveting inside account combines history and memoir to tell the full story of U.S.-Russia relations from the fall of the Soviet Union to the new rise of the hostile, paranoid Russian president. From the first days of McFaul's ambassadorship, the Kremlin actively sought to discredit and undermine him, hassling him with tactics that included dispatching protesters to his front gates, slandering him on state media, and tightly surveilling him, his staff, and his family. From Cold War to Hot Peace is an essential account of the most consequential global confrontation of our time.

Ratings and reviews

An important book about Russia from the preeminent scholar of that region and the former US ambassador. What comes through most is McFaul'a deep love of Russia and it's people despite the challenges in US-Russia relations and the abuse inflicted on US diplomats posted there. Unfortunately the book ends around 2017, when the Trump administration was still largely composed of Republican establishment professionals, before they all were purged. Would be interesting to get McFaul's take on the events of recent years, as Putin's behavior has become more combative, and Trump's behavior more dangerous and unhinged.

About the author

Michael McFaul is a professor of political science at Stanford University. He served for five years in the Obama administration as special assistant to the president and senior director for Russian and Eurasian affairs, then as U.S. ambassador to the Russian Federation.

L. J. Ganser is a triple Audie Award-winning narrator with over 600 titles recorded to date. Prized for versatility, his work ranges from hard science to magical fantasy, from stinging ants to the Civil War, from Roger Rabbit to infinity-and yes, even beyond. He lives in New York City with his family and dog, Mars.