De Stille Oorlog

by Tim Weiner, Pon Ruiter (Translator)

Na de val van de Muur kwam de Koude Oorlog tussen het westen en de Sovjet-Unie ten einde. Maar met de opkomst van Poetin als leider is de politieke oorlog tussen Rusland en de Verenigde Staten in alle hevigheid opgelaaid, met de inmenging van Rusland in de presidentsverkiezingen van 2016 als voorlopig dieptepunt.
Weiner onderzoekt de wortels van dit politieke spel, dat wordt gespeeld met spionage, sabotage en desinformatie. Welke rol speelde Poetin in de verkiezing van Donald Trump? Hoe gebruikt Rusland kgb-technieken om steeds meer informatie van – en invloed op – de Amerikaanse samenleving te krijgen? En waarom kunnen de VS hier zo weinig tegen inbrengen?

Genres: History, Politics, Nonfiction, Russia, American History, Audiobook, International Relations

367 pages, Paperback

First published September 22, 2020

About the author

Tim Weiner reported for The New York Times for many years as a foreign correspondent and as a national security correspondent in Washington, DC. He has won the Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting and the National Book Award for LEGACY OF ASHES: The History of the CIA. His new book, out in July, is ONE MAN AGAINST THE WORLD: The Tragedy of Richard Nixon.

Reviews

[Elizabeth George · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a must-read for anyone who wants to understand how the United States has become what it currently is: tribal and deeply divided about nearly everything but most of all about politics. It explains how the US utterly missed the boat with regard to the power of social media and how this lack of knowledge created an opening for the forces that wished and still wish to destroy the Democratic process, not only in the US but in other nations as well. It's an incredible look at how the Cold War has been fought and how public opinion has been formed, particularly since 1945. If nothing else, Chapters 9 and 10 are worth the cover price. I will never again look at politics in the same way. The books is written by a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist who has also won the National Book Award. It's highly footnoted. You won't regret reading it.

[Helga · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting read

[Margarita Garova · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Разделяй и владей е славна цел, но само разделянето също върши работа.”

Когато мислим за най-новата ни история, не можем да пропуснем политическата война. Тя се намира идеална почва за развитие през Студената война, в която преките военни сблъсъци са изключени, затова и двата полюса пренасочват бойното поле на друг терен – този на умовете на хората. Политическата война покрива широк спектър от дейности – дипломация, разузнаване, дезинформация, изнудвания, манипулации, заблуди, а в последно време активно използване на социалните мрежи и кибершпионаж.

Това е игра, в която американците се включват доста след руснаците и често изостават зад тях. Зрелищните провали на тайните операции на ЦРУ, които издигат и свалят африкански и латиноамерикански автократи, освен че струват колосални суми, дискредитират външнополитическата роля на САЩ. Доста по-успешен се оказва проектът за радио, което да излъчва антикомунистическа пропаганда зад Желязната завеса, както и подкрепата за полското движние “Солидарност”.

Но през това време и КГБ начело с Андропов е наострило уши и улавя всяка възможност, за да дискредитира главния си враг. Фалшификации като изобретяването на СПИН, използването на западни леви интелектуалци като “полезни идиоти” и в по-стари времена – клеветата за световния еврейски заговор, са все творения на ефективната руска пропагандна машина. На американците им трябва доста дълго време, за да осъзнаят мащабите на руската политическа война, да не говорим за изработване на стратегии за справяне. По-често става дума за закъсняла реакция, отколкото за изпреварващ удар или инициативност.

Безспорно, най-противоречивият и интересен период от гледна точка днешното противопоставяне са първите години след рухването на СССР и отношенията Елцин-Клинтън, както и разширяването на НАТО с бившите соц сателити, което според някои провокирало трайно недоволство и чувство за обсаденост в Кремъл – това е и една от опорките, които се използват за оправдаване на сегашната война и погазване суверенитета на независима държава.

И докато САЩ са заети в борбата срещу тероризма и изнасянето на демокрация в Близкия Изток – съвсем оправдано критикувани от автора, техните съперници усъвършенстват инструментариума на информационната война, чиято кулминация на успеха са президентските избори в САЩ през 2016 г.

Информационната война продължава с пълна сила – ефективна и лесно достигаща аудиторията си, тя постига целите си както в неукрепнали демокрации с лошо образовано население, така и в утвърдени такива, но загубили посоката и чувството си за мисия в света.


“Дезинформацията може да бъде смъртоносна, когато бъде оставена да се разпространява безпрепятствено.”
“…империите не изчезват просто така.”
“демокрацията не може лесно да се развие, не може лесно и да бъде изнесена; тя не е стока като соя или маратонки, а идеал, който живее в умовете.”

[Mircea Petcu · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Razboiul politic este modul in care natiunile isi proiecteaza puterea si actioneaza impotriva inamicului, cu exceptia lansarii de proiectile si a trimiterii de trupe."

Definitia lasa in afara sabotajele, asasinatele politice si loviturile de stat. Multe dintre aceste operatiuni clandestine sunt prezentate pe larg in cartea "CIA. O istorie secreta", de acelasi autor.

[Jamie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Why is Ukraine-Russian tension in the news again? Why is Putin hard for our politicians to read? Americans like things to be clear. "We are at war" or "mission: accomplished!" You are our friend, or you are our enemy. Stalin's spiritual successor - Putin - is not like that at all. Weiner says, "Americans tend to see war and peace as night and day. Russians see a never-ending battle." I think he's right. And Putin uses the same playbook... over, and over, and over, and again today with Ukraine.
I found the first 3/4ths of the book more useful than the last 4th. I think it is clear that Putin was meddling in our election process when Trump was elected, but, based on the book, I'm not convinced about how influential the meddling actually was.
My favorite quote was from a Memorandum sent from President Eisenhower to his Secretary of State that said that political warfare could be "anything from the singing of a beautiful hymn up to the most extraordinary kind of physical sabotage." Can't wait to see a job opportunity for Assistant Minister of Subversive Hymnody and Warfare...

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a concise overview of the political warfare between the Soviet Union/Russian Federation and the United States from 1945-2020 (March). It’s excellent and I learned a lot. It contains the information on the tensions after WWII and the assassinations the United States carried out. The most striking is allowing Mobutu Sese Seko taking power and keeping it while Washington DDC looked the other way. Reagan’s support for the Soviet Union’s collapse. Clinton attempting to keep Yeltsin healthy and agreeing to support Putin when he came to power. And we all know what Putin has very successfully done the last few years. A very good book.

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

TL;DR

The Folly and the Glory by Tim Weiner documents the political warfare between the U.S. and Russia from the start of the Cold War to today. This book documents how the U.S. failed to take Russia’s electronic warfare tactics seriously and has put American democracy at risk. Highly Recommended.

Disclaimer: The publisher provided an advanced review copy from NetGalley of The Folly and the Glory in exchange for an honest review.

Review: The Folly and the Glory

As a midwestern American who grew up with the action films of the 80s, consumed many Tom Clancy books, and planned to be a fighter pilot, I expected the Soviet Union to be the terror of my adult life. When the Berlin Wall fell, I felt national pride that the U.S. had outlasted the Soviets. I was young enough to believe that a new era of peace was to begin. Terrorism rose up as the existential threat, and Russia seemed to fade into the background. Then the build up to the 2016 election and its aftermath showed that the U.S. may not think of Russia as the enemy but Russia still saw us as the enemy. What I didn’t expect was that many of the same people who hated communists and would have been anti-Soviet during the Cold War, now dismissed claims of Russian interference. Sure, part of it was that Russia helped their side win. But the willingness to overlook Russia’s political warfare boggled my mind. How did the Republicans – the party of Reagan, who won the Cold War – deny if not welcome Russian interference? How did the Democrats, which were considered soft on the Soviets when I grew up, become the party willing to stand up to Russia? Seeking to answer these questions, I turned to Pulitzer prize winner Tim Weiner’s new book, The Folly and the Glory. In it, Mr. Weiner examines the role of political warfare from the end of World War 2 to today.

The subtitle for this book is “America, Russia, and Political Warfare 1945–2020.” That’s a lot of time and, as operations were world wide, a lot of ground to cover. Mr. Weiner surveys this time period well, choosing to zoom in and out such that the argument he’s building is strengthened without getting too bogged down in details. The first chapter is an excellent overview that defines political warfare and the purpose of the book. From there, he takes us to 1948, crediting George F. Kenan with the architecture of the Cold War, and progresses forward through time. The Folly and the Glory takes the reader through the development and beginnings of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to the CIA-backed coup in Congo to the end of the Cold War and the aftermath. Weiner documents Russia’s forays into electronic warfare as Putin tried to raise Russia’s influence in the world. U.S. hubris has kept it from adapting to the new method of warfare, and our leaders still fail to protect us.

Information warfare is a big topic of the book. Putin’s mentor, Yuri Vladimoirovich Andropov, created some of the most famous disinformation of that era, such as that the military invented AIDS. It turns out that the Soviet Union, the KGB, and the Russians in general are much better at information warfare than the U.S. The U.S. may have turned its eyes from Russia, but Russia never failed to keep the U.S. in sight. The final chapter details Russia’s efforts during the 2016 election. The disinformation and confusion would have made Andropov proud. The chapter focuses on the Internet Research Agency and the information gleaned during the Mueller probe. The overwhelming evidence shows that Russia interfered in our elections, an effort that surely continues today.

Tim Weiner Brings the Receipts

The sheer amount of source material from quotes to telegrams to interviews adds weight and immediacy to the text. Often historical surveys feel too distanced, too academic. In The Folly and the Glory Weiner finds a good balance between the long term view and using source material to give us a feel for the time.

The end notes made me happy, which is a weird sentence to write. But seeing the sources gives me a reading list for future investigation. I found myself browsing the notes, which is something I rarely do. There are a lot of resources to get lost in.

A Deep Book

Per the publisher, The Folly and the Glory clocks in at 336 pages. It felt like much more, in a good way. Each page was densely packed with information and narrative. This isn’t a book to just plow through in a couple hours, at least not for me. I had to take it slow and let my brain process all the good stuff on the page. After reading the chapter about the CIA’s intervention in Congo for the despot Joseph-Désiré Mobutu, I had to put the book down for a day. I couldn’t reconcile how the U.S. supported such a totalitarian regime. The author made it clear that the Congo was central to the U.S.’s African anti-communism strategy. But why did we continue to support him after seeing what horrible things he and his supporters did? This is an eternal question for why the U.S. continued/continues to prop up dictators all over the world. But that’s what a good book does, right? It makes us think; it makes us ask questions.

The Folly and the Glory is a slow read because there’s so much information. This didn’t bother me, but it’s an area where reader preference will affect your enjoyment of the book.

The Folly and the Glory made me think, throughout my reading, about U.S. foreign relations and political warfare. I’m not naive. I know that sometimes one partners with a lesser evil to defeat the larger (see: allying Stalin to defeat Hitler), but what happens when we become so focused on the larger evil that we don’t see the lesser grow? I don’t have an answer to that question. Tim Weiner explains why the U.S. propped up the Congo. But what was the cost? Did the U.S. save the present at the cost of the future?

Political Leanings

In our polarized nation, everything is viewed through politics. Covid is a health crisis, but it is yet another proxy for conservatives versus liberals in the U.S. I anticipate that people will want to know how the book leans. My belief is that conservatives will say it’s a leftist, revisionist history something something Marxist something postmodern, and that lefties will say it’s an apologia for the CIA, a neoliberal attempt to rationalize the horrors of the past as part of a national myth.

In reality, Tim Weiner wrote a book that promotes neither a liberal nor conservative viewpoint. His focus is Russia’s efforts engaging in political warfare, and the use of primary sources helps maintain his political neutrality. Therefore, I recommend this book to anyone interested in international political warfare, on the moderate side of either political ideology.

Conclusion

Tim Weiner’s The Folly and the Glory is a sobering read. Its lessons are tough but necessary if the U.S. wishes to defend itself. The Folly and the Glory documents the long history of political warfare between the U.S. and Russia. It’s long past time that the U.S. took Russia’s political warfare seriously again, and the The Folly and the Glory is the clarion call needed to start that conversation.

The Folly and the Glory by Tim Weiner is available from Henry Holt & Co on September 22nd, 2020.

8.5 out of 10!

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first 70% of this book is fine. It's a summary of things most people probably already know about the cold war from 1945 - 2000. The last 30% is fantastic and makes a persuasive case that Russia really messed with the 2016 US election and continues to attack the US election system today. It gets into what Putin learned from Yuri Andropov and what Putin has tried to do since he took power after Yeltsin.

This makes Trump's refusal to concede more interesting. Trump's tantrums about the 2020 election are not really about whether or not Trump thinks he won, because it seems fairly clear that the money he is raising is going to pay off campaign debts. The real damage is in convincing the down and out Trump supporters that the 2020 election was illegitimate.

[Scott Martin · Rating 1 out of 5]

(Audiobook) (1.5 stars) I am not entirely sure what I expected to read/listen to when I checked this book out, but after listen to it (it wasn't that long, fortunately) I don't feel that this is anywhere near his best work...not by a long shot. I am not sure where to begin in the critique. The idea of "political warfare" seems like a redundant statement, as all war is inherently political. Perhaps a focus on influence or information warfare would suffice. From there, it is a jumbled attempted to summarize the Cold War through 2016 through the lens of how the Soviet Union/Russia and the US attempted to counter each other in the realm of information/propaganda conflict. It was hard to follow exactly what Weiner was looking to achieve. The strongest part of the book was mentioning how the Soviet disinformation campaigns attempted to thwart various US activities (1980 election/1984 Olympics). That you could see as a parallel to 2016. The historic context was helpful to try to explain why, but Weiner could have really dug into the US vs. USSR/Russia disinformation actions. Perhaps he could have offered other more modern examples (France, Australia, etc).

Instead, this work goes from Cliff's Notes history to a rehash of the Washington Post when it came to 2016. Perhaps some parts were taken from the Mueller Report, which came out in 2019. However, the conclusion of the book just skips all of 2018 and 2019. The warning nature of the work will turn off a number of polarized readers. There was potential with this work and subject, but it felt like Weiner was mailing it in, with much of the backstory just a rehash of his other works (some of which could be seen as way overrated (Legacy of Ashes, anyone?)).

Perhaps if you had not followed any of the current US/Russia relations/interactions or if you didn't remember much of your Cold War history, this one might rate higher. However, for a reader with greater familiarity, this work, aside from some of the 1980s information, will tell you little that you probably didn't know coming into this book. If you are in that situation of having familiarity, then don't waste your time or money with this book. You gain nothing. If you need a primer of some sort, this might be worth a listen (the reader is ok, but he doesn't add or detract from the text).

[Justin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Weiner unwittingly--or maybe partially wittingly? Semi-wittingly?--falls victim to the fallacy (common among American media outlets, pundits, and even ordinary lay people) of equating (in geopolitical terms) the Russia of Vladimir Putin with the USSR of the Cold War.

The latter could credibly project power--economic, diplomatic, and military--across the entirety of planet Earth, crushing uprisings all across Eastern Europe for decades, occupying Afghanistan, and propping up allied regimes around the world. Meanwhile, the former could barely manage to squash a rebellion in Chechnya.

In 1991, at the time of the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Russia's economy was the same size as China's; the Russia of 2022 has an economy smaller than Italy's and about the same size as South Korea's. It is a petro-state, essentially a larger version of Saudi Arabia, with more people, more alcohol, nuclear weapons, a shrinking life expectancy, and about the same amount of military spending. That's right: regional power Saudi Arabia and make-believe superpower Russia both spend about the same amount annually on their militaries, which is to say, 13 times less than the United States.

Vladimir Putin is of course a menacing villain straight out of central casting; but it is important not to assume that because revelations about Russia's cyberwarfare and clandestine political warfare efforts coincided with the utter disaster of the Trump presidency that their effectiveness is somehow preternatural. Despite the conspicuous deference and cooperation that marked the Trump campaign's attitude towards Russia, in the final analysis James Comey played a far larger role in defeating Hillary Clinton and securing the Presidency for Trump than anything Putin ever did.

[Antonia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book! Heavily informative and accessible, focused mainly on the foreign politics between the USA and Russia and their influence in the territories of their spheres of interest. Perhaps it could have included a bit more on the Russian side, but I understand the author has written strictly about fact checked material. Anyway, the book could still serve as a great weapon in the information war against all post-truths manufactured by the Russian propaganda machine and spread around the internet through the so-called "active measures" agenda. The last part, about the 2016 US presidential elections, is brilliantly delivered.

[Andy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having read his previous book on the history of the CIA, I found a lot of this redundant, and wished he had focused more on Russia nowadays.

[Dimitar Angelov · Rating 4 out of 5]

Книга, която излезе съвсем навреме и е редно повечко наши "съграждани" да прочетат.

[Dave Stone · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book left me sad, discouraged, but better informed
I buy this knowledge with a terrible price, ha ha ha.
Tim Weiner is an award winning journalist and author. in addition to the National Book Award, Weiner won the 1988 Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting as an investigative reporter at The Philadelphia Inquirer, for his articles on the black budget spending at the Pentagon and the CIA. He now writes for the New York Times where he covers national security and intelligence.
-And this guy pulls no punches when he calls Trump a Russian stooge.
But first you are treated to the entire history of the CIA and a litany of American foreign policy fiascos that will grind away at your soul.
I jumped right into this book after finishing The Guns of August, and the exact same themes of arrogance, refusal to acknowledge any facts that disagree with your assumptions, and a belief that when we win all will be made right -that lead Europe into a pointless tragedy that killed millions are repeated here. but this time it's US doing the disastrous.
Long story short, Putin got us good. After a string of cyber warfare attacks that went unanswered and many unreported, Putin meddled in the US presidential election of 2016. Whether that meddling made the difference, Trump was a faithful friend to Putin, degraded democracy around the world, and emboldened despots the world over.
...So no happy ending here.

[Joe · Rating 5 out of 5]

A real education into Russian and American history

I really appreciated the strong timeline of how the Soviet Union & Russia alongside the US have been waging political warfare since 1947. From misadventures in Africa to the controversy of expanding NATO to the rise of Putin, then Trump you’re going to learn things here.

Also well was said history may not repeat but history sure rhymes. The theme of the road to hell is... repeats over and over again. Ditto how making deals with autocratic regimes keeps costing money & more.

This book is a must read to understand both current events and our history.

[Dave · Rating 5 out of 5]

Journalist Tim Weiner tracks the course of the Cold War from 1945 to 2020, not so much in the usual headlines and major events, but in the events of what he terms political warfare - especially the propaganda battles and clandestine efforts during the communist years and the Putin years. And it is pretty frightening. I went from being appalled at some of what America did to match the Soviets to frustrated that our efforts have almost ceased while Putin has stepped his up again and again. It's an interesting look at a history I grew up in but knew only a little about.

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fascinating account of political relations between 2 super powers long at odds. The final chapter was downright chilling to read. Nothing about this book will make you feel better about the current climate unfortunately, but the information does ease some uncertainty. Thank you to the publisher for providing me with a drc available through edelweiss.

[Jenelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every American needs to read this book if they want to understand US - Russia relations.

In the meantime, I need to wrap my head around how to best review this book... so much to think through and say.

[Jason Noel · Rating 4 out of 5]

A page turner, Weiner has very little good to say about any US president he mentions, although his hatred of Trump is the most obvious. But don't read it to learn about the US president's, read it to learn about Russia. That's where you'll find the greatest value.

[Victoria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not the most propulsive read but a thorough history of US-Russia relations over the past 60+ years. I learned a lot about both countries’ clandestine efforts in particular. It was also a good refresher on some historical events I already knew a little about.

[Connie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a book about 75 years of cold war between Russia and the US. There's disinformation, misinformation, false information/propaganda, lies, covert operations, political assassinations etc. There were so many names of people with their multiple titles in numerous years and countries. The story kept going forward and back in time which was confusing. It was difficult to keep all this information straight. It got better toward the end, or maybe I was just more familiar with the more recent participants. Russian leaders became expert at social media manipulation so they could put someone they wanted in the White House, and that person played right along and enjoyed their help. They also achieved the divisiveness in the US that they wanted. This information should be read by everyone, but the delivery would reach more people if it was more cohesive for the less politically minded person.

[Dmitry · Rating 1 out of 5]

This review is based the first chapter of the book that sets the context for the rest of the material. I just could not get beyond that. Anyone who in 2020 (when the book was published) believes that the Russians "in 2016... helped elect a president [meaning Trump]" and the United States "fought the war on communism in the jungles of Vietnam" has got to be delusional. The chapter is full of fascinating observations the likes of how dare the Russians spy on the peaceful and innocent America to try to steal the design of the bomb that America had just dropped on the evil Japan and how dare the Russians be upset at the NATO expansion closer and closer to the Russian border. One has to wonder who paid for the publication of this trash. Must be the Russians in their attempt to discredit existence of intelligent life in the United States.

[John Wood · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book gives a mind-boggling account of the Russian and American states' political warfare during and after the Cold War. Tim Weiner is a very credible source and has interviewed many prominent intelligence officials in the US, including former heads of the CIA. He explains how the Russians use disinformation and how they flooded social media and used other tactics to help Donald Trump win the 2016 election. The Russians are beating us in this game, and it is almost incomprehensible what tactics they use. They have many advantages, including a long history of ruthless leaders going back to the stars, a less open society without being constrained by the societal and political restraints, and Vladimir Putin is a former head of the KGB, very familiar with and unafraid to use any tactics.

[Jivko Todorov · Rating 5 out of 5]

Страхотна книга, проследяваща противпоставянето на КГБ и ЦРУ в годините от края на ВСВ до днес. Всички сме чували за дезинформацията и "троловете", но да прочетеш в детайли какво са успели да постигнат реално е изключително интересно и плашещо. Също така последните 50 страници от книгата са поставени над 400 референции към фактите изложени в книгата, което е много полезно и важно, защото всеки може да ги провери и не е нужно да вярва "на сляпо". Точно обратното на почти всички кафяви новини идващи от североизток.

[Randal White · Rating 4 out of 5]

A thorough, informative look at the history of political warfare between Russia and the United States. Both sides conducted "dirty tricks" against each other, for decades. It appeared that, with the collapse of the Soviet Union, that the United States had prevailed. However, it appears we let our guard down, and Putin has taken full advantage of our weakened position. Scary stuff, where we are now. I only hope that we can prevail.

[Ally · Rating 2 out of 5]

Informational and interesting up till the opinion of the author started to overpower the narrative.

[Steve's Book Stuff · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Folly and the Glory is a compelling overview of political warfare between America and Russia from the Cold War up to 2020. “Political warfare” is shorthand for espionage, disinformation, cyberwar and sabotage. It's a very instructive read if you want to better understand Putin’s motivations in invading Ukraine, and his perception of the importance of Ukraine to Russia.

At 268 pages of text (along with 40 some pages of Notes) the book is a bit episodic, and some episodes are covered in more depth (the rise of Solidarity) than others (the Bay of Pigs and the Cuban Missile Crisis). It’s a fast paced read from a Pulitzer Prize winning author and New York Times national security and intelligence reporter.

The book is basically written in two parts - USA versus USSR in chapters 1 through 6, and USA and the Russian Federation in chapters 7 through 10. The first part is more of a history of intelligence during the Cold War. The second part reads more as an exposition on how American actions after the Cold War have been perceived in Russia, the rise of the ex-KGB agent Putin to the leadership of Russia, and Russia’s efforts to go on the offensive with their disinformation campaigns culminating in their meddling in 2016 in the US presidential election.

One of the most important themes in the book is the difference in approach to espionage on both sides. The Americans have a much shorter history at it than the Russians and are less practiced at it. The American side also thought it “won” the Cold War, which caused our intelligence agencies to start shifting focus elsewhere. America became consumed with international crises from Bosnia through 9/11, through the Arab Spring, and the Libyan uprising, and on and on.

The Russians, however, saw NATO’s advancement after the Cold War as a threat aimed directly at them, and never let down their guard. It’s consistent with the country’s long view, and of its often fraught relations with the rest of Europe and the larger world. A quote from Weiner, fairly early on in the book, makes the point: "Americans tend to see war and peace as night and day. Russians see a never-ending battle."

It’s not surprising then that Putin views the breakup of the Soviet Union as “the greatest geopolitical tragedy of the 20th century.” Nor that he views Ukraine as a key to returning “greater Russia” to the first rank of nations. Another quote in the book helps to put that into context.

This time the quote is from William B. Taylor Jr., American ambassador to Ukraine from 2006 to 2009: “If Ukraine succeeds in breaking free of Russian influence, it is possible for Europe to be whole, free, democratic, and at peace. In contrast, if Russia dominates Ukraine, Russia will again become an empire, oppressing its people, and threatening its neighbors and the rest of the world.”

For a two year old book this is a very timely read. I highly recommend it to anyone hoping to better understand what’s happening in Ukraine. Five Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐


NOTE: If you'd like to see the author's direct insights into American Intelligence and the current situation in Ukraine, check out this interview with him by CNN.

[Minervas Owl · Rating 4 out of 5]

How to understand Russia's meddling of the 2016 US election? Tim Weiner thinks the best way is to see it as an "political warfare", the intentional use of non-military power to affect the power balance between two countries. If the term reminds you of the cold war, it's because the author wants you to. The book's key purpose is to create a narrative that sees Russia's recent moves against the US as the Cold War's continuance.

I think the good thing about this perspective is to help Americans treat Russia seriously, which they fail to do so during the 2016 election cycle. FBI informed the Democratic National Committee of Russia's malware attack, but the committee let four months pass before they called in a cybersecurity team. McConnel refused to sign on a bipartisan statement about Russia's interference. Obama confronted Putin in September about Russia's effort to influence the US election, but he didn't deter Russia's further actions by sanctions or expelling Russia's diplomats -- he took such steps only after the election. The Department of Homeland Security finally informed the public about Russia's attack in October 2016, but it was too late and not sharp enough. Americans need a sober understanding of what Putin is up to and capable of.

But how much can the US learn from the history of the cold war to fend off future cyber and disinfo attacks? I don't think the book has provided a clear answer. First, the book did not talk much on the defensive front, except about the Active Measures Working Group. The state-sponsored team operated in the 1980s to expose Soviet disinformation efforts. For example, when the USSR forged letters from KKK to Olympic committees in African countries, the team confirmed the letters were forged. Tim Weiner seems to endorse the idea of reviving this group, but how much will it help? The USSR targeted people in third-party countries instead of Americans, and they didn't spread lies on decentralized platforms such as Facebook and Twitter. When some people disparage CNN as fake news, how much can we expect them to trust a state-sponsored fact check team?

On the offensive front, the book has more to say. I liked reading about the author's introduction of US operations in Congo and Poland. But the book mainly focuses on description rather than analysis. In the end, we still don't know whether US political warfare strategies worked in the past, and whether they will work in the future. For example, should Radio Free Europe continue to operate? Is NATO expansion a mistake because it instigated Russia?

Overall, the book conveys one important message but does not provide many solutions for future policies. Better read in-depth books on the cold war and the 2016 Russian interference against the US election separately.

[Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked up this book because I had really enjoyed reading Weiner's Legacy of Ashes, and I was not disappointed. Whereas the prior book was a complete takedown of the CIA, this book is more measured in the sense that if the CIA weren't doing its clumsy business, the world might not be much better, and it could be even worse. Russia's intelligence gathering, foreign interference, and political warfare is vastly more sophisticated than ours. Not only have they been sharpening their tactics since the Russian Revolution, but their clandestine statecraft goes back hundreds of years. The United States was very late to the game, and Russia has played them like fools over and over again.

The Soviet Union collapsed not because the U.S. outsmarted them, but because the Western economic engine bludgeoned them through brute force. However, this political dissolution did not disassemble what made Russia so formidable in the first place. Their talent and capacity to wage political warfare throughout the world continued, chastened for a time, but thrown back into high gear when Putin came to power.

From this vantage point, it should come as no surprise that Russia meddled in the 2016 political election, and that they have been so successful at inflaming divisions within American society. What's unsettling though, is how a sizable portion of the U.S. electorate is content with Russian disinformation campaigns provided that it benefits their political party. This approach to politics-- victory by any means necessary-- is straight out of the Russian playbook. In the internet age when it is so easy to manipulate the minds of hundreds of millions of people at once, it makes you wonder how a free and open democracy can persist.

Russia may have lost the battle for being the world's greatest superpower, but it appears that they are winning the war for how politics are waged. By this measure, the U.S. is running far behind Russia (and probably China). The Kremlin must have been absolutely delighted by the January 6 capitol insurrection-- the best way to attack the United States is not through direct military engagement, but to let them defeat themselves through the collapse of their own system. It is a troubling irony that the Cold War did not end in a decisive American victory, as it first appeared, but in mutually assured destruction, played out over decades of continuous subterfuge. When truth is completely subverted to power, there are no victors, just a succession of warlords.

[Dennis Murphy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Folly and the Glory: America, Russia, and Political Warfare 1945-2020 by Tim Weiner is a bit of a mixed bag. I would say that its details and anecdotes are pretty damn rich and useful, but there are some issues that emerge when you take a look at the book as a whole. Each vignette is worthwhile, but you'll find that there is an outsized focus on where Weiner believes US foreign policy was a failure. He characterizes most of US cold war policy as related to political warfare, going as far back as the Marshal Plan and George Kennan. Russia and the Soviet Union are reactive agents, often doing little more than responding to the US. Very little serious analysis is done with regards to what the Soviets did, nor is there any attempt to highlight potential success stories on the part of the US. The impression, therefore, is that the Cold War was driven by the United States, with the most assertive Cold War Warriors being little more than war mongers dangerously destabilizing the status quo, and that the United States badly botched the peace in Europe with regards to Gorbachev and Yeltsin. Russia only appears in the driver's seat after Yeltsin and with Bush's war on terror.

What you then takeaway from the book is a deeply pessimistic take on US foreign policy and the people who led the US' response to the Cold War.

Weiner is explicit about how he chose to approach the discipline at the very end. He wanted to write about the CIA in the same way his colleagues wrote about the Cops in the civil rights era and another wrote about Apartheid in South Africa. The judgment he passes is deeply critical, even dismal. To an extent, after reading that remark, it can seem to be done by design.

Tim Weiner is an effective writer, and his vignettes into political warfare are both deeply intriguing and engaging. But he is an interested party, and it colors just how far you should take him.