Betrayal: Trump, Putin and The New Age of Conquest

by Luke Harding

'Dark and compelling . . . Brilliant' BILL BROWDER

'More gripping than a thriller' ANDREY KURKOV

'A master chronicler' CHARLIE ENGLISH

Betrayal charts the dramatic collapse of the post-1945 international system. The agreement that nations do not change borders by force is under attack, not just from Russia but America, too. Donald Trump has threatened to seize Greenland and bombed Iran as part of a violent remaking of the Middle East. Vladimir Putin's bloody imperial campaign to seize Ukraine and redraw Europe's map continues. Meanwhile, China eyes up Taiwan.

Written in thrilling style, this vital and clear-eyed book reports from the frontlines during an age of upheaval. Luke Harding visits villages in eastern Ukraine under Russian bombardment, talks to Greenlanders about a US takeover, tours the divided Korean peninsula and sits down with Volodymyr Zelenskyy. He examines why Trump appears to be in thrall to Putin and tracks Russian spies and their links with Nigel Farage's Reform party. Betrayal is an essential guide to brutal Great Power politics and how it came back.

Genres: Nonfiction, Politics

Audible Audio

Published August 25, 2026

About the author

Luke Daniel Harding is a British journalist working as a foreign correspondent for The Guardian. He was the correspondent of The Guardian in Russia from 2007 until, returning from a stay in the UK on February 5, 2011, he was refused re-entry to Russia and deported back the same day. The Guardian said his expulsion was linked with his critical articles on Russia, while Russia's foreign ministry said that an extended certificate of foreign correspondence was not obtained in time. After the reversal of the decision on February 9 and the granting of a short-term visa, Harding chose not to seek a further visa extension.

Reviews

[Tom M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Luke Harding gives us a good summary of the recent events, backed up by many testimonies and facts, and presents a clear perspective on the possible reasons behind those events.

Thankfully, it's not narrated as a thriller, unlike what some critics who didn't get beyond the first twenty pages would like us to believe. The introduction is a little like that, yes, then the analysis kicks in. One chapter at the beginning felt a little forced and repetitive, as if it was trying too hard to convince us, but it gets better balanced after that. The end leaves us with a hint of hope for the future, at least for Europe.

Some considerations are not taken into account or elaborated; one is the strong dependency some regions of the world currently have on key resources like chips. Europe, the US, Taiwan, South Korea, and Japan are bound to work together or the world as we know it will simply stop, setting us back three decades. Similarly, China currently depends on that supply chain and can't invade Taiwan without a heavy cost, but it's catching up quickly. What when it has reached enough self-sufficiency and leverage? And what of the US, which has progressively lost its dominance on several technologies? Could it be excluded or not? What would it take? And Russia: is it doomed to depend on China? But perhaps it's premature to explore that within the scope of this book.

Something that I missed was the perspective of the Democrats, even though the book touched on the subject very briefly. It's clear that Trump and Vance are not fit for the job and are doing it very badly, but it seems almost biased without another point of view. What's the rationale that keeps their supporters believe in them? What's the alternative they don't want to see? Maybe a topic for another time.

Overall, a great book that we all needed to see published. Highly recommended.