Scholars are not always known for their clarity. But in this interview with America’s top Russia expert, David Remnick (venerable editor of the New Yorker), gets Stephen Kotkin to explain with terrifying coherence a complex scenario at the centre of which is a man who has blundered, a man whose vision failed to take into account several aspects of reality. For David Remnick’s interview, click here. It’s a pretty long read, but well worth it.