This book provides a comprehensive overview of political developments in Russia since late 2000, following on from where the author's previous publication, The New Russia, left off. It covers all aspects of politics including the following: the highly centralized nature of power in Russia; central government and presidential elections; regional government and developments in the republics, including unrest in Chechnya and the other Caucasian republics; and human rights. Taking a chronological approach, it shows how politics overall has changed over the period, including how the relationship between Prime Minister (formerly President) Vladimir Putin and President Dmitri Medvedev has worked out.

The book continues - and adds to – the overview of developments in the author's The New Russia (2002), and is the companion volume to Economic Developments in Contemporary Russia (2011) - both published by Routledge.