Perfect Storm

Gemeinsam. Im Netz. Für Gerechtigkeit. Sechs Jugendliche auf sechs Kontinenten deren Lebensumstände unterschiedlicher nicht sein könnten, finden über ein Online-Spiel zusammen. Doch sie vereint nicht nur das Spiel, sondern auch die Leidenschaft fürs Hacking. Als Boubacar ihnen von schweren Menschenrechtsverletzungen in seiner Heimat, der Republik Kongo, und der Beteiligung zweier großer US-Konzerne an diesem Unrecht berichtet, steht für alle fest, dass sie aktiv werden müssen. Gemeinsam wollen sie deren Machenschaften Einhalt gebieten. Sie dringen in die streng gesicherten Netzwerke der Unternehmen ein und erbeuten brisantes Material, das sie öffentlich machen, um einen weltweiten Sturm der Empörung auszulösen. Doch sie haben mächtige Feinde, die ihnen bereits auf den Fersen sind ...

Gemeinsam. Im Netz. Für Gerechtigkeit. Sechs Jugendliche auf sechs Kontinenten deren Lebensumstände unterschiedlicher nicht sein könnten, finden über ein Online-Spiel zusammen. Doch sie vereint nicht nur das Spiel, sondern auch die Leidenschaft fürs Hacking. Als Boubacar ihnen von schweren Menschenrechtsverletzungen in seiner Heimat, der Republik Kongo, und der Beteiligung zweier großer US-Konzerne an diesem Unrecht berichtet, steht für alle fest, dass sie aktiv werden müssen. Gemeinsam wollen sie deren Machenschaften Einhalt gebieten. Sie dringen in die streng gesicherten Netzwerke der Unternehmen ein und erbeuten brisantes Material, das sie öffentlich machen, um einen weltweiten Sturm der Empörung auszulösen. Doch sie haben mächtige Feinde, die ihnen bereits auf den Fersen sind ...

The story of Russia's historic opening to the West (1992-2022), where it succeeded and why it has failed, the impact of war and sanctions, and the prospects for Russia's future. Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022 brought a tragic close to a thirty-year period of history that began with the collapse of the Soviet Union and the reopening of Russia to the West after six decades of Soviet isolation. The opening lasted for three tumultuous decades and ended with a new closing, driven by the Ukrainian war, the imposition of Western sanctions, and the Russian responses to them. In Perfect Storm, Russia analyst Thane Gustafson reinterprets the story of Russia's failed opening to the West, focusing on its economic, technological, and social aspects, and the role they played in its ultimate failure. These parallel events are essential for understanding what happened and what went wrong. Yet they have received much less attention than the military and geopolitical aspects of the current conflict. Gustafson tells the story of the West's entry into Russia, the arrival of Russians into the West, and the conflicting emotions and responses these aroused on both sides, contributing to the ultimate breakdown of relations and the unprecedented hurricane of Western sanctions. The book concludes with an examination of possible futures under a new generation of leaders. A measured and nuanced account of the evolution of Russia's economic relations with the world, Perfect Storm illuminates the longer history of Russia's opening to the West, from its achievements and disappointments to the complexity of the post-invasion sanctions regime and Russia's responses to them.

The story of Russia's historic opening to the West (1992-2022), where it succeeded and why it has failed, the impact of war and sanctions, and the prospects for Russia's future. Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022 brought a tragic close to a thirty-year period of history that began with the collapse of the Soviet Union and the reopening of Russia to the West after six decades of Soviet isolation. The opening lasted for three tumultuous decades and ended with a new closing, driven by the Ukrainian war, the imposition of Western sanctions, and the Russian responses to them. In Perfect Storm, Russia analyst Thane Gustafson reinterprets the story of Russia's failed opening to the West, focusing on its economic, technological, and social aspects, and the role they played in its ultimate failure. These parallel events are essential for understanding what happened and what went wrong. Yet they have received much less attention than the military and geopolitical aspects of the current conflict. Gustafson tells the story of the West's entry into Russia, the arrival of Russians into the West, and the conflicting emotions and responses these aroused on both sides, contributing to the ultimate breakdown of relations and the unprecedented hurricane of Western sanctions. The book concludes with an examination of possible futures under a new generation of leaders. A measured and nuanced account of the evolution of Russia's economic relations with the world, Perfect Storm illuminates the longer history of Russia's opening to the West, from its achievements and disappointments to the complexity of the post-invasion sanctions regime and Russia's responses to them.