Friday News Roundup — May 26, 2023
Happy Friday and happy Memorial Day weekend. With an all-volunteer force and the memories of World War II, Korea, and Vietnam fading, the impact of war has been felt by fewer and fewer, and easy to forget. We remember and honor those who have made the ultimate sacrifice defending our country.
As is now tradition, we take a break from the news heading into the long weekend and unofficial start of summer to share what we’re reading or recently read at CSPC. Be it on the beach, in the air, or wherever you might find yourself flipping through pages, we hope you enjoy our summer reading recommendations.
In addition to our reading list, Joshua Huminski reviewed Katja Hoyer’s “Beyond the Wall” a new history of East Germany. By using deeply personal portraits about both occupants of high office and from everyday life, Hoyer brings a new vibrancy to a country and period of history that is too often monochromatic and merely a sideshow in the Cold War. It is history at its finest and one that does not shy away from the impact of East Germany’s legacy in contemporary Germany.
Glenn Nye
For a look at American political polarization and how to use the lessons of our history to navigate today’s dysfunction, take a look at American Schism. Author Seth Radwell is a businessman who decided people like him needed to take action, so he examined the problem and lays out some practical solutions to heal the nation.
For students of Geotechnology competition, or those who simply want to understand the debate around domestic technology production and global tech supply chains, Chris Miller’s Chip War remains a must-read. The book chronicles the interesting history of semiconductor pioneers and demystifies the fundamental nature of microchip production, and its role in modern society and security. It is worth a read just to understand the mind-boggling complexity of producing modern chip making machines, and it is highly instructive in the understanding of the competition that will underpin a huge part of national security thinking in the coming years.
For a look inside the first two years of the Biden White House, with valuable reflections on the president’s personal history influencing his decisions and the composition of his team, read Chris Wipple’s The Fight of His Life. Whipple brings his proven narrative style to make a highly readable depiction of Joe Biden’s presidential journey, complete with his characteristic insider anecdotes that bring an insightful view of what’s happening inside the top of the executive branch.
Dan Mahaffee
“The Wager” by David Grann is subtitled “A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny, and Murder”. The author writes just that, rivaling the great maritime authors, drawing not from his imagination but the true history of the HMS Wager and its tragic, mutinous journey. From the perils of early 18th century seafaring to navigating the social layers of British class present in the Royal Navy, Grann’s book tells an epic tale in a read that I could not put down.
While more than a decade old, Peter Wilson’s “The Thirty Years War: Europe’s Tragedy” is an excellent, though deep history of the 17th century conflict. Wilson details the political, economic, and cultural factors that led to the war. This history provides more nuance than the traditionally religious angles or a list of dates leading up to the Treaty of Westphalia and the emergence of the modern nation state.
“Africa is not a Country” by Dipo Faloyin is foremost an entertaining read as well as informative. A right mixture of humor and earnestness, this book is a helpful rejoinder to many of the stereotypes we still hold about Africa, even with our best efforts.
Joshua Huminski
Sir David Omand
Penguin Books
1 June 2023
The former head of the UK’s signals intelligence organization, GCHQ, and Security and Intelligence Coordinator offers his take on crisis management based on his wealth of expertise and using a series of case study examples.
Samuel Ramani
Hurst
20 June 2023
Looking at Russia’s war against Ukraine, Ramani sees Moscow’s actions as part of a global campaign of counter-revolution that is driven primarily by domestic factors, not by international developments, as President Vladimir Putin and his inner circle claim.
Johnson at 10: The Inside Story
Anthony Seldon & Raymond Newell
Atlantic Books
4 May 2023
A contemporary history of Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s spectacular fall from power, “Johnson at 10” explores one of the most turbulent periods on British political history leveraging interviews with insiders to Johnson’s court. It looks to be a Bob Woodward-esque look at the peak of British political power.
Tim Marshall
Elliot & Thompson Ltd
27 April 2023
Popular author and geographer Tim Marshall turns his attention to the geopolitics of space and competition between the United States, China, and Russia on orbit. Marhsall’s previous books offered a witty look at the importance of geography and maps, and his latest looks to be a continuation of that approach.
Scott Shapiro
23 May 2023
Penguin Books Ltd.
Scott Shapiro offers a look at the why and how of cyber vulnerabilities through the lens of five key hacks, discussing the down code (the zeroes and ones that govern our world) and the up code (the human systems of governance above the cyber world). A novel take on a deeply covered take, Shapiro’s book thus far seems to blend the technical with an entertaining story.
Guenther Steiner
Transworld Publishers Ltd
20 April 2023
The outspoken, candid, combative, and always entertaining team principal of Haas F1, Guenther Steiner penned a diary of the 2022 Formula One season, and what a season it was. With the invasion of Ukraine, Haas lost both a driver and its prime sponsor, and F1 cancelled a race, and instability in the Middle East risked cancelling another. Steiner is a welcome guide in this fascinating look at the politics of F1 and more.
Alice Loxton
Icon Books
2 March 2023
Loxton offers a highly entertaining look at the Georgian era through the rise and growth of satire, which cut the path for Britain’s quintessential political humor such as Yes, Minister and Yes, Prime Minister, The Thick of It, and more. A lively history of a dynamic time, “Uproar” is a unique history and looks to be a delightful read.
Alma Katsu
G.P. Putnam’s Sons
14 March 2023
In this thrilling sequel to her superb “Red Widow”, Katsu — a former CIA officer — takes her main character to London where she faces off against Russian oligarchs, war criminals, and internal politics.
Veera Parko
I recently visited the Flight 93 National Memorial in Shanksville, PA — highly recommended. At the bookshop, I picked up Michael Zuckoff´s excellent “Fall and Rise: The Story of 9/11” and read it practically in one sitting. It tells the story of the 9/11 attacks in gripping detail, focusing on the individual stories of people involved. While painting a vivid picture of very personal tragedies and acts of courage that day, the book is highly interesting from a national security and emergency preparedness point of view, highlighting systemic and cultural vulnerabilities any crisis preparedness professional should be aware of.
If reading about catastrophic events is not your idea of summer relaxation, I would recommend diving into the secrets of my native Finland’s success in the World Happiness Report with Joanna Nylund’s Sisu: the Finnish Art of Courage. The Finnish word “sisu” means grit, resilience, perseverance in the face of adversity (and bad weather) — maybe something we all need in this world. Happy reading!
Ethan Brown
Mount Rushmore (Gilbert C. Fite)
This past summer, I journeyed across these United States from one coast to the other (East to West), taking the family to as many of the iconic sites as possible. This included seeing Mount Rushmore. At the bookstore there, I happened across the account of Gutzon Borglum, the sculptor of both Rushmore and Stone Mountain in Georgia (and several others). Most people know about Rushmore and its tremendous architectural achievement, but few know that one of America’s most identifiable monuments almost wasn’t on account of Game of Thrones-style competition amongst local businesses, townships, and the halls of congress, or that the temperamental sculptor would be part of the reason the project would take so long and again…nearly fail repeatedly before completion. Written by a son of South Dakota, Gilbert C. Fite was one of the most respected historians of the West during his long and accomplished life as an academic. The book is well worth the read despite the obscurity of the topic.
Regular readers of the Memorial Day roundup are already familiar with my Dan Jones-stanning, I argued a few Summer reading lists ago that there are few historians more in control of their material than is the best-selling Jones. In Essex Dogs, Jones takes the dry, stuffy and fact-intensive tapestry of history — in this time, a story in the Hundred Years War — and fictionalized participants who engage in theatrical contributions to actual events. That is tough to do for any author, and it usually fails (unless it’s Steven Pressfield). But once again, Jones’ mastery of historical facts and prose makes this journey with a ragtag group of sellswords seem effortlessly a part of the real event.
The Great Game: The Struggle for Empire in Central Asia (Peter Hopkirk)
A classic work, and perhaps one the readers are already familiar with, but for me, a first go at this pivotal look at one of the previous episodes of imperialism in Central Asia…and that necessarily means competition in what is now Afghanistan. Hopkirk’s exhaustive recount of “The Great Game”, the tug-of-war between Britain and Russia across the Asian belt, is nothing short of incredible for the distances, diversities, and hardship endured by all parties in a thankless bout between two empires vying for dominance over a region that has only desired to be left in peace…but endures interventionism to this day. Originally published in 1992, it remains a fascinating exhibit in history repeating itself across the Graveyard of Empires.
Red Rising Trilogy (Pierce Brown)
Yes, it’s fiction, yes, I’m late to this widely popular sci fi series (rumored to be going to Amazon TV). But for enthusiasts of the iconography of the Roman Empire, imagine the pomp, politicoes, and intrigue of Rome, set hundreds of years into our future where humanity has evolved and spread across the solar system. Then make it a Spartakus-style rise of the slave liberator plot. Then make it all a first-person inner-monologue voice. Those are some wild ingredients, almost impossible to pull off. But Pierce Brown wrote a narrative arc which I couldn’t stop consuming, and for anyone seeking a bit of fictional escapism that still reads like a challenging mature piece of narrative literature, the Red Rising trilogy was fantastic and worth adding to the collection. (It performs very well via Audible as well).
Hidetoshi Azuma
Hidetoshi Azuma
The year of 2022 was a watershed moment in the history of post-WWII Japan’s security normalization. The trigger of such a historic shift was in fact Russia rather than China as commonly believed. In fact, this was perfectly consistent with Japan’s historical geostrategic dynamics frequently driven by Russia’s great power ambitions. In 2023, Japan has further consolidated its policy of confrontation with Russia, culminating in the Japanese prime minister Fumio Kishida’s visit to Ukraine in March and his summit with the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the Group of Seven (G7) summit in Hiroshima earlier this month. In thinking about Japan’s role in today’s great power competition with Russia, the following list of books by American authors would inform Wasington’s strategy for guiding the perennially troubled Japan-Russia relations.
Freedom Betrayed: Herbert Hoover’s Secret History of the Second World War and Its Aftermath by Herbert Hoover, 2011.
Following his untimely exit from the Oval Office amidst the Great Depression, the 31st US President Herbert C. Hoover spent his subsequent decade chronicling America’s descent into what he believed was an unnecessary world war. Widely recognized as his magnum opus, Freedom Betrayed is a scathing polemic against the perceived foreign policy failure of his successor, Franklin D. Roosevelt. A indefatigable proponent of American liberty, Hoover presents an intriguing perspective on the history of WWII with a particular emphasis on the growing threat of communism from the Soviet Union. He argues for a strong Japan wielding regional geopolitical influence as a counterweight against Russia’s great power ambitions. He reveals his role as a top conservative operative in influencing General Douglas MacArthur’s anti-communist strategy for the occupation of Japan in light of the rise of the Soviet Union and the People’s Republic of China in post-WWII Asia. Kept hidden for almost half a century, Hoover’s reminiscence of WWII and its aftermath is sewn with his living testimonies on the vicissitudes of history and is an invaluable primary source for understanding the subtlety required for America’s guidance of Japan’s role in today’s great power competition.
Reminiscences by General Douglas MacArthur, 1964.
Widely remembered to this day as the “American Caesar,” General Douglas MacArthur presents a memoir of his celebrated, yet oft-controversial military career. While his command in the Philippines in the early days of the war in the Pacific remains highly controversial, his leadership during the occupation of Japan undoubtedly contributed to the successful resurrection of the defeated empire as America’s foremost ally in Asia. Crucial to the success was in fact MacArthur’s resolute policy of reversing the growing Soviet influence over postwar Japan. As a top protege of the former President Herbert Hoover, the triumphant general implemented a conservative vision for postwar Japan as an anti-communist bulwark in Asia backed by industrial might. His memoir reveals Hoover’s lasting legacy in US foreign policy and the unmistakable influence of domestic American politics on the fate of Japan.
2. America’s Siberian Adventure, 1918–1920 by General William S. Graves, 1941.
Almost 100 years ago from today, the United States was embroiled in a failing military campaign on the frigid soil of Siberia. It was an undeclared war without a congressional mandate driven by President Woodrow Wilson’s personal crusade of supporting self-determination worldwide. Significantly, it was arguably America’s first serious joint military operation with Japan. As a commanding general of America’s forgotten war in Siberia, General William S. Graves presents an on-the-ground perspective on the troubled multilateral military intervention in the Russian Civil War followed by scathing criticisms of Wilson’s utopian idealism which he believed degenerated into irresponsible interventionism. Graves’ account of his coordinations with the Imperial Japanese Army reveals the inherent divergence on Russia cursed by varying geostrategic imperatives. In the last chapter aptly titled, “The Debacle,” the forlorn American general in Siberia chronicles the tragedy of internscene infighting among the allies, particularly with Japan, eclipsing the lofty ideals of the League of Nations. Graves’ memoir attests to the inherent difficulties in achieving alignment on Russia between the US and Japan, and Tokyo’s lingering obsession with its energy stakes in Sakhalin seems to only vindicate his prescience.
The views of authors (and their taste in literature) are their own, and not that of CSPC.