Zero Sum: The Arc of International Business in Russia
About the book:
When the hammer and sickle came down in late 1991, Russia's feverish new market opened for business. From banking to breweries, sectors emerged out of nowhere, in a country that had never had a functioning economy. For the next three turbulent decades,
a wild, proto-capitalist free-for-all transformed Russian society. Then, in 2022, Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The market started to collapse; Western firms fled Moscow's skyscrapers. No country this large had ever transformed itself as dizzyingly as 1990s Russia–now, just as dramatically, it was over. The intervening decades had seen phenomenal successes and crushing failures; the creation and destruction of enormous fortunes. How did it all happen?
a wild, proto-capitalist free-for-all transformed Russian society. Then, in 2022, Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The market started to collapse; Western firms fled Moscow's skyscrapers. No country this large had ever transformed itself as dizzyingly as 1990s Russia–now, just as dramatically, it was over. The intervening decades had seen phenomenal successes and crushing failures; the creation and destruction of enormous fortunes. How did it all happen?
Zero Sum brings to life the complex, vivid color of one of the greatest experiments in the history of global commerce. What have businesses learned–or failed to learn–from this adventure, both about Russia and about dynamics between countries and companies in the face of relentless change?
–
CHARLES HECKER has spent forty years traveling and working in the Soviet Union and Russia. He has worked as a journalist and a geopolitical risk consultant and has lived in Miami, Moscow, and London. A fluent Russian speaker, he holds degrees from the University of Pennsylvania and Harvard University.
RACHEL ZIEMBA is an Adjunct Faculty Member in the MS in Global Affairs program. Her research focuses on the interlinkages between economics, finance, and security issues. Her research topics include coercive economic policies such as sanctions, economic resilience, and the role of state-owned investors, including sovereign wealth funds.
DATE
APRIL 10, 2025
TIME
12PM-1:30PM EST
LOCATION
7 East 12th Street, New York, New York, 10003
COST
$Free
Contact
michelle.damico@nyu.edu
DATE
APRIL 10, 2025
TIME
12PM-1:30PM EST
LOCATION
7 East 12th Street, New York, New York, 10003
Contact
michelle.damico@nyu.edu
COST
$Free
About the book:
When the hammer and sickle came down in late 1991, Russia's feverish new market opened for business. From banking to breweries, sectors emerged out of nowhere, in a country that had never had a functioning economy. For the next three turbulent decades,
a wild, proto-capitalist free-for-all transformed Russian society. Then, in 2022, Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The market started to collapse; Western firms fled Moscow's skyscrapers. No country this large had ever transformed itself as dizzyingly as 1990s Russia–now, just as dramatically, it was over. The intervening decades had seen phenomenal successes and crushing failures; the creation and destruction of enormous fortunes. How did it all happen?
a wild, proto-capitalist free-for-all transformed Russian society. Then, in 2022, Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The market started to collapse; Western firms fled Moscow's skyscrapers. No country this large had ever transformed itself as dizzyingly as 1990s Russia–now, just as dramatically, it was over. The intervening decades had seen phenomenal successes and crushing failures; the creation and destruction of enormous fortunes. How did it all happen?
Zero Sum brings to life the complex, vivid color of one of the greatest experiments in the history of global commerce. What have businesses learned–or failed to learn–from this adventure, both about Russia and about dynamics between countries and companies in the face of relentless change?
–
CHARLES HECKER has spent forty years traveling and working in the Soviet Union and Russia. He has worked as a journalist and a geopolitical risk consultant and has lived in Miami, Moscow, and London. A fluent Russian speaker, he holds degrees from the University of Pennsylvania and Harvard University.
RACHEL ZIEMBA is an Adjunct Faculty Member in the MS in Global Affairs program. Her research focuses on the interlinkages between economics, finance, and security issues. Her research topics include coercive economic policies such as sanctions, economic resilience, and the role of state-owned investors, including sovereign wealth funds.