Bosch Lecture in Public Policy

Truth, Ambition, and Compromise in Putin’s Russia

In his research, journalist Joshua Yaffa focuses on the way many Russians, across all segments of society, have been forced to make compromises to realize their ambitions and accommodate themselves to the shifting demands of the state. The sum of these compromises, Yaffa argues, is what actually makes the rule of Vladimir Putin possible—and what consequently determines, to a large extent, the character of Russian politics, economy, and cultural life today. In this lecture, Yaffa tells of his in-depth reporting from Moscow, the changing tenor of Russian society under Putin, and the everyday dynamics of contemporary Russia that affect citizens from Moscow to Crimea.