336 pages | 22nd September, 2020 | Non-fiction | Political Science; History
From Tim Weiner, winner of the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award, an urgent and gripping account of the 75-year battle between the US and Russia that led to the election and impeachment of an American president
With vivid storytelling and riveting insider accounts, Weiner traces the roots of political warfare―the conflict America and Russia have waged with espionage, sabotage, diplomacy and disinformation―from 1945 until 2020. America won the cold war, but Russia is winning today. Vladimir Putin helped to put his chosen candidate in the White House with a covert campaign that continues to this moment. Putin’s Russia has revived Soviet-era intelligence operations gaining ever more potent information from―and influence over―the American people and government. Yet the US has put little power into its defense. This has put American democracy in peril.
Weiner takes us behind closed doors, illuminating Russian and American intelligence operations and their consequences. To get to the heart of what is at stake and find potential solutions, he examines long-running 20th-century CIA operations, the global political machinations of the Soviet KGB, the erosion of American political warfare after the cold war, and how 21st-century Russia has kept the cold war alive. The Folly and the Glory is an urgent call to our leaders and citizens to understand the nature of political warfare―and to change course before it’s too late.
A Kirkus Reviews Best Nonfiction Book of 2020
"[A] colorful and richly detailed account…Weiner briskly relates a treasure trove of declassified material from the Cold War and draws on insider accounts to present a plausible portrait of the current state of affairs. Newshounds and espionage fans will be enthralled."
Publishers Weekly
"Gripping…unnervingly insightful."
Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"In this fraught, globally consequential 2020 campaign season, one could hardly ask for a better explanation of how we landed here."
Booklist (starred review)
"A well-written and provocative journey to this era’s perilous fight…And Weiner is especially adept at unearthing and explaining the covert side of it all….as a summation, The Folly and the Glory is brilliant."
The Washington Post
Tim Weiner has won the Pulitzer Prize for his reporting on American national security and the National Book Award for Legacy of Ashes: The History of the CIA. At the New York Times, he covered the CIA in Washington and conflicts in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and many other nations. Legacy of Ashes was acclaimed as one of the year’s best books by The New York Times, The Economist, The Washington Post, Time, and many other publications. His five other books include the national bestseller Enemies: A History of the FBI. He lives in Brooklyn with his wife, Kate Doyle, an expert in human rights and freedom of information.
US & Audio: Henry Holt and Co.
Bulgaria: Ciela
Germany: S. Fischer Verlag
Japan: Hakusuisha
Netherlands: De Bezige Bij
Poland: Rebis
Romania: Litera