Russian Politics Under Putin Book

Yesterday, the 27th of January I've attended the Round Table "Russia and the West. New cold war?" held at ISPI on the occasion of the italian release of the book by Edward Lucas "The New Cold War: Putin's Russia and the Threat to the West", published by "Università Bocconi Editore".
Attended as speakers: Aldo Ferrari, from ISPI and Ca' Foscari University of Venice, the author Edward Lucas from The Economist and the ambassador Sergio Romano from Corriere della Sera
Intolerance of dissent, open hostility towards the closest more democratic countries and a selective use of energy in order to divide the West are making Russia a danger, according to Edward Lucas.
Putin's Russia has been on a collision course with the West, but Europe and America seem to have not realised that. Under the label of "sovereign democracy" is developing an authoritarian system, the bearer of an antidemocratic and anti western ideology, not free from imperialist temptations, as demonstrated by the attack on Georgia in August 2008 and the trial of strength with the ' Ukraine for gas supplies. The murders of Anna Politkovskaya and Aleksandr Litvinenko, relevant due to the echo that they had in the West more than for their singularity, rather demonstrate the determination of the Russian regime not to tolerate dissent.
Much of the developement of these delicate relashionship will greatly depend on the President Barack Obama and the US orientation....