The Lost Land
Audiobook
The Lost Land
Why Has Russia Broken Away From the Western World?
The entire Western world repeatedly tries to understand modern Russia. However, analysts, commentators, and philosophers alike struggle to overcome an obstacle that leads to the ongoing confusion about Russian politics, society, and history: they interpret it through the prism of Western values, ideas, and experiences. But Russia's past and present are built on different foundations, carry different traumas, and hold different expectations and hopes. As a result, its dynamics are often difficult for a Western observer to comprehend.
This is why the book 'The Lost Country' tells the history of modern Russia after the collapse of the Soviet Union from a Russian perspective. It recounts the failed attempts to build a capitalist liberal democracy, the disappointment of the Russian people with the unfulfilled expectations of the post-communist transformation, and the gradual deepening of resentment towards the West. It describes how a former superpower fell almost to rock bottom, how someone promised to restore its greatness and strength, and ultimately delivered on those promises — even at the cost of alienation from the democratic world. It recalls the evolution of Russian civilisation and the consolidation of its modern power across all spectrums of society, from the army and the media to spiritual and moral life. The book thus presents the story of a country gradually becoming lost, a country that, according to Western assumptions, was supposed to integrate into the democratic world, yet never truly belonged and remains distant from it.
What they wrote about the book:
The history of modern Russia from an unusual perspective and in surprising contexts. Essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the events in Ukraine and in Russia itself.
- Zdeněk Staszek, editor
Filip Scherf
Filip Scherf has long been engaged in the study of international relations within both Czech and international academic contexts, focusing primarily on Russia and the Eastern European region with an overlap into security and ethics. He works at the University of St Andrews in the UK and lectures at Charles University in Prague. He spent several years in Russia as a correspondent for British media and was previously a researcher at the NATO Parliamentary Assembly in Brussels, the RAND Corporation in Cambridge, and the Harriman Institute at Columbia University in New York. He is a graduate of Columbia University and the University of St Andrews. He has published numerous academic articles in international publications. 'The Lost Country' is his first book.
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