A review of the book 'New Cold Wars: China’s Rise, Russia’s Invasion, and America’s Struggle to Defend the West' written by David E. Sanger with Mary K. Brooks.
New Cold Wars ― the latest from Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist and bestselling author of The Perfect Weapon David E. Sanger ― tells the riveting story of America at a crossroads. At the turn of the millennium, the United States was confident that a democratic Russia and a newly wealthy China could gradually be pulled into the Western-led order. That proved a fantasy. By the time Washington emerged from the age of terrorism, the three nuclear powers were engaged in a high-stakes struggle for military, economic, and technological supremacy ― with nations around the world forced to take sides.
New Cold Wars is an astonishing first-draft history chronicling America’s return to superpower conflict, the choices that lie ahead, and what is at stake for the United States and the world.
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Coming up: A review of the book 'New Cold Wars: China’s Rise, Russia’s Invasion, and America’s Struggle to Defend the West' written by David E. Sanger with Mary K. Brooks.
Namaste Friends. My name is 'Shinil Subramanian Payamal' and you are listening to the Historylogy podcast.
Before I proceed, a full disclosure: This book was bought with my own money and not been provided to me by the authors or publisher.
Little bit about the authors:
David E. Sanger is national security correspondent for The New York Times and bestselling author of The Inheritance, Confront and Conceal, and The Perfect Weapon. He has been a member of three teams that won the Pulitzer Prize, including in 2017 for international reporting. A regular contributor to CNN, he also teaches national security policy at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government.
Mary K. Brooks is a Public Policy Fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. Previously, she was a fellow for cybersecurity and emerging threats at the R Street Institute, a researcher on The Perfect Weapon (2018), and an associate producer for the HBO documentary of the same name. She was an Aspen Strategy Group Rising Leader in 2022 and is a graduate of Harvard College.
Let me read a brief description of the book:
A fast-paced account of America’s plunge into simultaneous cold wars against two very different adversaries ― Xi Jinping’s China and Valdimir Putin’s Russia.
New Cold Wars ― the latest from Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist and bestselling author of The Perfect Weapon David E. Sanger ― tells the riveting story of America at a crossroads. At the turn of the millennium, the United States was confident that a democratic Russia and a newly wealthy China could gradually be pulled into the Western-led order. That proved a fantasy. By the time Washington emerged from the age of terrorism, the three nuclear powers were engaged in a high-stakes struggle for military, economic, and technological supremacy ― with nations around the world forced to take sides.
Interviewing a remarkable array of top officials in the United States, world leaders, and tech companies thrust onto the front lines, Sanger unfolds a riveting narrative spun around the era’s critical questions. Will Putin’s ill-considered invasion of Ukraine prove his undoing, and will he reach for his nuclear arsenal? Will China strike back at the US chip embargo, or seize Taiwan, the world’s semiconductor capital?
Taking readers from the battlefields of Ukraine ― where trench warfare and cyberwarfare are fought side by side ― to the back rooms and boardrooms where diplomats, spies, and tech executives jockey for geopolitical advantage, New Cold Wars is an astonishing first-draft history chronicling America’s return to superpower conflict, the choices that lie ahead, and what is at stake for the United States and the world.
The book is divided into three key sections, each focusing on one of the central players in this new geopolitical struggle: China, Russia, and the West. Sanger skillfully weaves a narrative that not only examines the policies and actions of these nations but also reflects on their historical contexts and the implications for the global order.
1. China’s Rise: Sanger paints a comprehensive picture of China’s rapid economic growth, its growing military power, and its strategic ambitions. He examines how China’s rise challenges the U.S.-led global order, particularly in the realms of trade, technology, and military influence.
In Chapter 9, the author has mentioned a ‘Sputnik’ moment. In the early morning hours of 27 July, 2021, the Chinese launched a missile which soared high above the continental United States and at some point during the trip, it had released a “hypersonic glide vehicle,” a highly maneuverable warhead that could fly more than five times the speed of sound.
Most were astonished that China—a country that not so long ago was regularly accused of stealing and copying American weapons systems like the F-35 fighter—had managed to leap ahead with a technology that the United States had so far failed to master.
2. Russia’s Aggression: The book moves seamlessly into Russia’s more disruptive role, particularly under Vladimir Putin. Sanger traces Russia's actions, from the annexation of Crimea to the ongoing war in Ukraine, highlighting how Putin’s defiance of international norms is testing the resolve of Western democracies.
The author has mentioned and given evidence about how the Russian troops were unprepared for the realities of modern warfare. The Russian troops who thought they were on “exercises” in Belarus and inside Russia were using their own cell phones—on Ukrainian networks—to call home to express their angst to family members and girlfriends that they had been deceived and were suddenly in a real battle.
3. America’s Struggle: Finally, Sanger turns his lens on the United States, grappling with its declining influence, internal divisions, and evolving approach to foreign policy. The book underscores the challenge for the U.S. in balancing its role as a global leader while facing challenges at home, such as political polarization, economic instability, and the rise of populism.
One of the major strengths of New Cold Wars is its clarity and accessibility. Despite the complex and sometimes esoteric nature of international relations, Sanger explains intricate geopolitical concepts and events in a way that is understandable to a wide audience.
The book’s timeliness is another key strength. Given the ongoing developments in Ukraine and the tense U.S.-China relations, the subject matter remains highly relevant.
Conclusion:
New Cold Wars is an important and timely work that offers a lucid and compelling exploration of the contemporary geopolitical landscape. David E. Sanger successfully unpacks the challenges faced by the U.S. and the West in responding to the rising power of China and the aggressive actions of Russia. By balancing historical context, policy analysis, and current events, he creates a comprehensive understanding of the forces shaping global politics today. For anyone seeking to understand the current state of world affairs and the potential risks of a new Cold War, this book is an essential read.
I give this book 4.5/5.
At the time of recording this book review, the book is available in Hardcover, Paperback and Kindle formats. It is yet to be made available in Audible format. I have given the respective buy links in the show notes. Please check them out for the latest prices.
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