This is CBS Iron the World. I'm John Batchel, spending time with the Professor Michael McFaul.

He is the author of a new book, Autocrats v. Democrats.

It comes not only from his experience as a reader, but also as someone who speaks Russian during the times of crisis in Russia.

This is the late 20th century.

Right now, we have a time of crisis in Russia in the early 21st century, and we don't know how it's going to come out. Michael has

recommendation that Democrats in Russia are listening, and so they'll pay attention to how

Michael's book is heard by the American people.

And voices such as Michael speak out against what Vladimir Putin has rendered his country.

Tens of thousands.

We have no idea how many damaged families there are.

We just don't know.

That's right.

We could only guess.

But there is something to be done in the meantime. Russia is not integrated into the world trade system. It could have been. It was, but right now it's being decoupled from the

system chiefly because it no longer can count on its energy being bought by the Europeans. What can be

done with Russia now and looking to the future?

Michael, this is the part of your book I most enjoyed because you're speculating about part

of this century that I will not see, 2050 and beyond. And I'm counting on you to be there, Michael,

so to answer questions about what you see. What can be done,

given that Vladimir Putin is a man who looks to be in charge, and yet there is a story,

I hear it repeatedly, that he is not all that powerful because he's frightened of his right wing.

His right wing is understood to be not just

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