Photos from the book talk with Anders Åslund

Summary

On October 7, 2025, the Stockholm Institute of Transition Economics (SITE) hosted economist Anders Åslund at the Stockholm School of Economics for the launch of his new book Sovjet – som det verkligen var (Soviet – As It Really Was). In a conversation moderated by Torbjörn Becker, Director of SITE, Åslund reflected on the political economy of the late Soviet Union and the tumultuous transition that followed its 1991 collapse. Drawing on memoranda he wrote for Sweden’s Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Åslund outlined how these analyses shaped Sweden’s assessment of developments in the USSR and early 1990s Russia.

The discussion revisited why Russia became a market economy without evolving into a liberal democracy under the rule of law, and what this history implies for Europe’s security and economic policy today.

Photo of Anders Åslund. Photo: Dominick Nilsson

Photo of Anders Åslund. Photo: Dominick Nilsson

Photos of the audience, from right Jesper Roine (SITE) & Anastasiia Arbuzova (SITE). Photo: Dominick Nilsson

Photo of Anders Åslund and Torbjörn Becker (SITE) during the Q&A session. Photo: Dominick Nilsson

Photo of Anders Åslund and Torbjörn Becker discussing the highlights of the book. Photo: Dominick Nilsson

Photo of Anders Åslund together with guests during the book signing session. Photo: Dominick Nilsson

Photo of Anders Åslund as he discusses his book further with one of the guests. Photo: Dominick Nilsson

Photo of Anders Åslund signing his book for a guest. Photo: Dominick Nilsson

Photo of Torbjörn Becker and Anders Åslund. Photo: Dominick Nilsson