The source for Dave’s talk is THE NEW TSAR – The Rise and Reign of Vladimir Putin – by Steven Lee Myers (published in Oct 2015). Steven Myers worked at the NY Times for 26 years, seven of them in Russia. He also spent 2 years as bureau chief in Baghdad, covering the winding down of the American war in Iraq. At the age of 40 in 1992, Putin was Lt Col. in the KGB, having been posted in Dresden, East Germany. In 2000, eight years later Putin became the President of Russia. Twelve years after that, in 2012, Vladimir Putin became virtual Tsar. Dave will tell Steven Myers’ story of how Putin’s incredible rise in power happened.