Jacob W. Kipp

A powerful orator with shrewd political instincts who skillfully manipulates media attention, Vladimir Zhirinovsky has emerged as a potent threat to Russia's political and economic reforms. Despite the electoral success of his Liberal Democratic Party, which now commands a strategic position in the Russian parliament, many dismiss Zhirinovsky as a bit player, projected less by his own talents than by the inadequacies of Russian reformers. But a careful reading of his memoirs and LDP literature indicates that he may have more substantive appeal than his critics allow. To dismiss this ultranationalist demagogue as a self-destructive clown is dangerous and ignores the real danger that he poses to Russian democracy.