M. Gessen
👤 SpeakerAppearances Over Time
Podcast Appearances
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M. Gessen grew up in the old Soviet Union.
The family migrated to the United States when M was 15.
But after the collapse of the old regime, they returned to Russia to cover the brief flourishing of democracy in the 1990s, and then the slow, ugly slide back down into autocracy, into one-man rule under Vladimir Putin.
M. Gesson's experience in Russia makes them one of the most clear-eyed commentators on the shocking dismantling of America's democratic institutions under President Donald Trump, something he promised to do, even as he was running for office.
The Trump administration might seem chaotic and bewildering to outsiders, but M.
's insight into the mindset of the autocrats
and the wannabe autocrat, offers some clarity in why such leaders do the things they do and how they see the world, and what makes people like Donald Trump so incredibly compelling to his followers.