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Operation Wrath of God: The Secret History of European Intelligence and Mossad's Assassination Campaign
by Aviva Guttmann 'Based on ground-breaking research from a rare archive in Switzerland. Guttmann lifts the lid on Mossad's most secret 'licence to kill' operations in Europe, with the aid of other western intelligence agencies. A gripping and tense narrative.' Helen Fry, author of Spymaster: The Man who saved MI6 In this unprecedented history of intelligence cooperation during the Cold War, Aviva Guttmann uncovers the key role of European intelligence agencies in facilitating Mossad's Operation Wrath of God. She reveals how, in the aftermath of the 1972 Munich Olympics Massacre, Palestinians suspected of involvement in terrorism were hunted and killed by Mossad with active European cooperation. Through unique access to unredacted documents in the Club de Berne archive, she shows how a secret coalition of intelligence agencies supplied Mossad with information about Palestinians on a colossal scale and tacitly supported Israeli covert actions on European soil. These agencies helped to anticipate and thwart a number of Palestinian terrorist plots, including some revealed here for the first time. This extraordinary book reconstructs the hidden world of international intelligence, showing how this parallel order enabled state relations to be pursued independently of official foreign policy constraints or public scrutiny.
Indigo / Amazon
'Dr Guttmann has produced a gripping historical account that is both riveting and terrifying in equal measure. It has the fast-paced adventure of a novel. This is more than a history book, and is as relevant today as the period it covers. I cannot recommend it highly enough.' Michael Goodman, author of The Official History of the Joint Intelligence Committee
'This book reads like a John Le Carré thriller. Packed with new revelations and gripping details, it stands out as the most authoritative account of Operation Wrath of God.' Ahron Bregman, author of The Spy Who Fell to Earth
'This is a remarkable, beautifully written and carefully researched book on the highly secret world of international co-operation between intelligence services. It also sheds important new light on assassination as a tool of foreign policy.' Richard J. Aldrich, author of GCHQ
'This well-researched insightful book lifts the lid on the contribution of European intelligence agencies to Israel's Operation Wrath of God which was directed towards eliminating Palestinian groups such as Black September, responsible for the killing of athletes at the Munich Olympics in 1972. The author has revealed the work of the 'Club de Berne' and its liaison with the Mossad and shone a bright light on those who live in the shadows.' Colin Shindler, author of A History of Modern Israel
See also: Operation Wrath of God as reviewed by Daniel Byman for Lawfare – November 7, 2025
Operation Wrath of God as reviewed by Jean-Thomas Nicole for The Cipher Brief – January 24, 2026
Images of the Israeli Olympians who were murdered by the attackers: NDTV World
About the book: Operation Wrath of God: The Secret History of European Intelligence and Mossad's Assassination Campaign by Aviva Guttmann Cambridge University Press – 350 pages 32.25 (Kindle) Publication Date: August 7, 2025
About the Author: Aviva Guttmann
Dr Aviva Guttmann is Lecturer in Strategy and Intelligence. Before joining Aberystwyth, she was a Research Associate at King’s College London (KCL) in King’s Intelligence and Security Group and a Marie Curie Senior Research Fellow at the Center for War Studies at Southern Denmark University (Project: LINSEC). Aviva is the founder and chair of the Women’s Intelligence Network (WIN), which connects and promotes women scholars and practitioners in the field of intelligence studies.
Her research focuses on the international relations of intelligence agencies, covert action, and counterterrorism in Europe and the Middle East during and after the Cold War. She is the author of the recently published Operation Wrath of God (Cambridge, 2025) and The Origins of International Counterterrorism (Brill, 2018), co-edited a book on Estimative Intelligence in European Foreign Policymaking, and contributed over 12 articles in three languages to refereed academic journals of history, intelligence, international, strategic, and terrorism studies. She is teaching on topics of intelligence, strategy, and international security. Biography Credit: Aberystwyth University.
Book Review / Revue de livres Disclaimer: Articles are chosen for relevance and circulated for information only. Views expressed are those of the respective journalists / authors. Republication does not infer endorsement. Book Review Editor: Ralph Mahar - Suggestions for Book Reviews will be gratefully received at thepillarsociety.bulletins@gmail.com Avertissement : Les articles sont choisis pour leur pertinence et sont diffusés à titre d'information seulement. Les opinions exprimées sont celles des journalistes/auteurs respectifs. La republication n'implique pas d'approbation. Rédacteur en chef des critiques de livres : Ralph Mahar - Les suggestions de critiques de livres sont les bienvenues à l'adresse suivante : thepillarsociety.bulletins@gmail.com
The Architect of Espionage: The Man Who Built Israel's Mossad into the World's Boldest Intelligence Force
by Samuel M. Katz November 25, 2025 Publisher: Scribner
The Architect of Espionage: The Man Who Built Israel's Mossad into the World's Boldest Intelligence Force by Samuel M. Katz From a New York Times bestselling author and an expert on Middle Eastern conflict comes a riveting biography of Meir Dagan, the legendary Mossad director who transformed Israel’s intelligence service into a global powerhouse of espionage and counterterrorism. In The Architect of Espionage, Samuel M. Katz masterfully chronicles the life of Meir Dagan, a visionary covert warfare veteran who revolutionized the art of intelligence and espionage. Born in the shadows of the Holocaust, his life personified the modern history of the Jewish people and the State of Israel. Dagan’s journey embodies decisive action, innovative thought, and bold leadership under fire. His tenure as the head of the Mossad marked a transformative era in Israel’s history, reshaping the agency into a formidable global force. Dagan’s story is one of daring strategy and relentless ingenuity. He spent thirty-two years in uniform, and under his eight-year leadership, Mossad orchestrated a series of high-stakes missions, including targeted assassinations, clandestine attempts to stop Iran from becoming a nuclear power, and the covert expansion of Israel’s strategic collaborations with members of the global intelligence fraternity, notably with the CIA. These operations not only bolstered Israel’s security but also altered the geopolitical dynamics of the Middle East. Drawing on unprecedented access to Dagan’s closest confidants, comrades in arms, and contemporaries in the international intelligence community, Katz brings to life the portrait of a spymaster whose influence extended far beyond Israel’s borders, shaping intelligence relationships across the Middle East and worldwide. Katz’s expertise in Middle Eastern conflicts and counterterrorism shines through in this meticulously researched narrative that delves into the intricate details of Dagan’s strategies. The Architect of Espionage is more than a biography—it is the history of the Jewish state told through the life of one of its most incredible warriors, spy chiefs, and, ultimately, statesmen. The Architect of Espionage is an immersive journey into the shadowy world of intelligence, where decisions carry life-or-death stakes and outcomes are steeped in secrecy. For anyone captivated by espionage thrillers or historical biographies, this is an essential and timely read, providing an insightful glimpse into the mind of one of the most influential spymasters of our era.
"An eye-opening look at how real-world spycraft is conducted." —Kirkus Reviews "The story of Meir Dagan, a hero whose life was an integral part of the history of Israel, is awe-inspiring. Katz relates it with the nuance, detail, and drama it deserves." —Jewish Book Council "Katz vividly portrays Dagan . . . moving." —SpyTalk “Few names loom larger in the shadow war than Meir Dagan. In his extraordinary new book, Katz pulls back the curtain on the soldier, commando, and spymaster who transformed the Mossad into a service that not only provided intelligence but turned it into an actionable commodity. Fast-paced, deeply researched, and unforgettable, this is the story of a dedicated leader whose bold actions and ‘clandestine diplomacy’ changed the course of history. Required reading for those wishing to understand the landscape of the modern Middle East.” —Jack Carr, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Cry Havoc “Dagan was Israel’s ‘Wild Bill’ Donovan and Katz nails the life of Israel’s legendary secret agent. Spies will study The Architect of Espionage to learn how the Mossad thinks and operates, because Dagan’s legacy lives on. The man changed the face of counterterrorism, turning the tables on enemies.” —Fred Burton, former special agent and New York Times bestselling co-author of Under Fire: The Untold Story of the Attack in Benghazi “Meir Dagan stands among the most consequential Israeli leaders in its history. Across fifty years, Dagan played an enormous role in protecting Israel from the numerous threats it faced, while also turning Mossad into the best intelligence service in the world. In The Architect of Espionage, author Samuel Katz brings Dagan’s remarkable story to life. I learned much more from this book about Dagan than I knew before I read it.” —Mike Morell, former director of the Central Intelligence Agency “Samuel Katz has done it again, producing a detailed window into the legendary career and life of Meir Dagan, one of the titans in the global intelligence world, a man feared by his enemies, revered by officers under his command, and deeply respected by his allies, particularly in the US.” —Marc Polymeropoulos, former CIA senior intelligence officer “Everyone who will read this exceptionally exciting book will get a better understanding of the difficulties, the challenges, and the threats that Israel had to deal with and the courageous manner in which Meir Dagan as head of Mossad helped the government and the state of Israel prevail. . . . Highly recommended.” —Ehud Olmert, former Prime Minister of Israel
See also: The Architect of Espionage as reviewed by Ralph Goff for The Cipher Brief – January 16, 2026
The Architect of Espionage as reviewed by Ralph Goff for Kirkus Reviews – November 1, 2025
Meir Dagan (center) in Lebanon. (photo credit:BAMACHANE)
About the book: The Architect of Espionage: The Man Who Built Israel's Mossad into the World's Boldest Intelligence Force by Samuel M. Katz Scribner – 432 pages 33.99 (Kindle) Publication Date: November 25, 2025
About the Author: Samuel M. Katz
Samuel Katz is New York City-based New York Times best-selling author, magazine editor, and special feature correspondent. He has written over 30 books, and articles for publications around the world, including editions of Vanity Fair, Esquire, and GQ. He was the founder and editor-in-chief of Special Operations Report, a quarterly magazine dedicated to military and law enforcement special operations, and counterterrorism.
He has appeared on numerous international television and radio networks, and also lectures law enforcement agencies and military commands around the world.
Katz is also an international business development, marketing, and media consultant for industries around the world
From 1998 to 2002, he served as President of CODESRIA (Council for the Development of Social Research in Africa). His essays have appeared in the New Left Review and the London Review of books, among other journals. Biography Credit: samuelkatzonline.com
Slow Poison: Idi Amin, Yoweri Museveni, and the Making of the Ugandan State
by Mahmood Mamdani October 14, 2025 Publisher: Bellknap Press
Slow Poison: Idi Amin, Yoweri Museveni, and the Making of the Ugandan State by Mahmood Mamdani A leading public intellectual gives his authoritative and personal account of the tragic postcolonial fate of Uganda, his homeland. In 1972, when Mahmood Mamdani came home to Uganda, he found a country transformed by “an orgy of violence.” Two years earlier, with support from the colonial powers of Great Britain and Israel, Idi Amin had forcefully cemented his rule. He soon expelled Uganda’s Indian minority in hopes of fostering a nation for Black Ugandans. The plan backfired. Amin was followed by Yoweri Museveni, who has now ruled for nearly four decades. Whereas Amin tried to create a Black nation out of the majority, Museveni sought to fragment this majority into multiple ethnic minorities, re-creating a version of colonial indirect rule. Slow Poison is Mamdani’s firsthand report on the tragic unraveling of his country’s struggle for decolonialization. A witness to East Africa’s endlessly intricate power plays, and one of the most insightful political philosophers of his generation, Mamdani casts a learned and wary eye on Amin, internationally depicted as a buffoon; the radical scholar Museveni; and the global heavyweights that exploited and manipulated Uganda before and after its independence. Each leader made violence central to his project, but Mamdani sees a signal difference between Amin, who retained popular support to the end, and Museveni, who has not. The Asian expulsion made Amin a monster in the eyes of the West. In contrast, Museveni was hailed as standard bearer of the “war on terror” in Africa and was protected from accountability for far greater crimes. In exchange for adopting the package of neoliberal reforms known as the Washington Consensus, he became Africa’s poster child. Amin, who aimed to create a nation of Black millionaires, never became one himself. Meanwhile, Uganda’s surrender to privatization has brought Museveni’s family immense wealth, even as the country remains one of the world’s poorest.
“Mamdani tells the story of his family’s exile―and his own eventual return―in hopes of complicating our view of Amin, and of Ugandan politics. Mamdani is less interested in the jubilation of independence than in the turmoil that followed. Africa’s transformation proved far bloodier than many had hoped, yet Mamdani still insists that the continent’s independence leaders have something to teach the world.”―Kelefa Sanneh, New Yorker “The book is informed by a hardheaded recognition that nation-building is often an ugly business, and that Amin’s crimes should be evaluated in that context.”―Geoff Shullenberger, Compact Magazine “For half a century, Mahmood Mamdani has been one of the world’s most influential and incisive analysts of African and Global South politics. Slow Poison reveals why. Combining history, political critique, and memoir, the book offers a riveting account of the consequences of state-directed violence, ‘tribalization,’ and neoliberal privatization, as well as the various Western entanglements, upending a litany of myths surrounding Idi Amin, Yoweri Museveni, and modern Uganda. Mamdani makes for a compelling witness. Brilliant!”―Robin D. G. Kelley, author of Africa Speaks, America Answers: Modern Jazz in Revolutionary Times “Mahmood Mamdani is one of the most acute and resourceful observers of our world, but Slow Poison is exceptionally lavish in its offer of bracing insight and eye-opening exposition. Rarely has any one book captured the profound ambiguity of decolonization: the scrambled pursuit of national freedom, the tortuous negotiations and compromises behind declarations of sovereignty, and the sheer slipperiness of postcolonial power.”―Pankaj Mishra, author of The World After Gaza
See also: Slow Poison as reviewed by Pratinav Anil for The Guardian – November 26, 2025
Slow Poison as reviewed by Zachariah Mampilly for Foreign Affairs – January / February 2026
Idi Amin and Yoweri Museveni
About the book: Slow Poison: Idi Amin, Yoweri Museveni, and the Making of the Ugandan State by Mahmood Mamdani Bellknap Press - 352 pages 31.44 (Indigo) Publication Date: October 14, 2025
About the Author: Mahmood Mamdani
Mahmood Mamdani is the Herbert Lehman Professor of Government. He was also professor and executive director of Makerere Institute of Social Research (2010-2022) in Kampala, where he established an inter-disciplinary doctoral program in Social Studies. He received his PhD from Harvard University in 1974 and specializes in the study of colonialism, anti-colonialism and decolonisation. His works explore the intersection between politics and culture, a comparative study of colonialism since 1452, the history of civil war and genocide in Africa, the Cold War and the War on Terror, the history and theory of human rights, and the politics of knowledge production. Prior to joining the Columbia faculty, Mamdani was a professor at the University of Dar-es-Salaam in Tanzania (1973–1979), Makerere University in Uganda (1980–1993), and the University of Cape Town (1996–1999).
His latest work, Neither Settler Nor Native: The Making and Unmaking of Permanent Minorities, Harvard, 2020, was shortlisted for the British Academy Book Prize for Global Cultural Understanding, 2021, and as “World History Finalist” by Association of American Publishers Awards for Professional and Scholarly Excellence (PROSE Awards)
From 1998 to 2002, he served as President of CODESRIA (Council for the Development of Social Research in Africa). His essays have appeared in the New Left Review and the London Review of books, among other journals. Biography Credit: Columbia University
A gripping blend of travelogue and frontline reporting that reveals how climate change, military ambition, and economic opportunity are transforming the Arctic into the epicenter of a new cold war, where a struggle for dominance between the planet’s great powers heralds the next global conflict. Russian spies. Nuclear submarines. Sabotaged pipelines. Undersea communications severed in the dark of night. The fastest-warming place on earth—where apartment buildings, hospitals, and homes crumble daily as permafrost melts and villages get washed away by rising seas—the Arctic stands at the crossroads of geopolitical ambition and environmental catastrophe. As climate change thaws the northern latitudes, opening once ice-bound shipping lanes and access to natural resources, the world’s military powers are rushing to stake their claims in this increasingly strategic region. We’ve entered a new cold war—and every day it grows hotter. In Polar War, Kenneth R. Rosen takes readers on an extraordinary journey across the changing face of the far north. Through intimate portraits of scientists, soldiers, and Indigenous community leaders representing the interests of twenty-one countries across four continents, he witnesses firsthand how rising temperatures and growing tensions are reshaping life above and below the Arctic Circle. He finds himself on the trail of Navy SEALs training for arctic warfare, embarks on Coast Guard patrols monitoring Russian incursions, participates in close-quarter-combat training aboard foreign icebreakers in the Arctic sea ice, and visits remote research stations where international cooperation is giving way to espionage and the search for long-frozen biological weapons. Drawing on hundreds of interviews and three years of reporting from the frontlines of climate change and great power competition, Rosen blends incisive analysis with the vivid immediacy of a travelogue. His deeply researched and personal accounts capture the diverse landscapes, people, and conflicted interests that define this complex northern region. The result is both an elegy for a vanishing landscape and an urgent warning about how the race for Arctic dominance could spark the next global conflict. Indigo / Amazon
Growing Military Presence in The Arctic Image Credit: Daily Mail As Published in Defence Research and Studies - April 2023
About the book: Polar War: Submarines, Spies, and the Struggle for Power in a Melting Arctic by Kenneth R. Rosen Simon & Schuster - 320 pages $20.99 (Kindle) Publication Date: January 6, 2026
About the Author: Kenneth R. Rosen
Kenneth R. Rosenis the author of three books including, most recently, Polar War: Submarines, Spies, and the Struggle for Power in a Melting Arctic (Simon & Schuster, 2026). He travels the world to write in-depth stories about the impact of major geopolitical issues and conflict on individual lives. He was a 2025 Ira A. Lipman Fellow at Columbia University. In 2024, he was a MacDowell fellow, a finalist for a Scripps Howard Award in opinion writing, and a de Groot Foundation Writer of Note grant recipient. Rosen received the 2022 Kurt Schork Freelance Award for his reporting from Ukraine, Syria, and Malta, which the judges called “courageous multifaceted investigative work.” He is a two-time finalist for the Livingston Award in international reporting and, among other honors, he received the 2018 Bayeux Calvados-Normandy Award for War Correspondents for his reporting from Iraq and was a finalist in 2019 for his reporting from within Syria. He is the author of Troubled: The Failed Promise of America’s Behavioral Treatment Programs (Little A, 2021), which The New York Times Book Review called “a searing exposé” and a “public service.” Troubled was a Times Editors’ Choice, one of Newsweek’s most highly anticipated titles of 2021, and was optioned separately as a feature film and a docuseries. Troubled helped launch independent inquiries, by the Government Accountability Office and the Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, into abuses at congregate care facilities for at-risk youth. His first book, Bulletproof Vest (Bloomsbury, 2020), was named one of the most fascinating books WIRED read that year. He has written for the New Yorker, the New York Times Magazine, the Atlantic, and VQR, among others. His work has been translated into Arabic, Spanish, German, Russian, Ukrainian and Japanese. As a foreign correspondent and magazine writer, he has reported from more than two dozen countries across Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia. He worked at The New York Times for seven years and was a senior editor and correspondent at Newsweek. He now divides his time between Northern Italy and Western Massachusetts with his wife and their three children. Biography Credit: kennethrrosen.com
Disclaimer: Articles are chosen for relevance and circulated for information only. Views expressed are those of the respective journalists / authors. Republication does not infer endorsement. Book Review Editor: Ralph Mahar - Suggestions for Book Reviews will be gratefully received at thepillarsociety.bulletins@gmail.com Avertissement : Les articles sont choisis pour leur pertinence et sont diffusés à titre d'information seulement. Les opinions exprimées sont celles des journalistes/auteurs respectifs. La republication n'implique pas d'approbation. cteur en chef des critiques de livres : Ralph Mahar - Les suggestions de critiques de livres sont les bienvenues à l'adresse suivante : thepillarsociety.bulletins@gmail.com
About the book: Things Are Never So Bad That They Can't Get Worse: Inside the Collapse of Venezuela by William Neuman St. Martin's Press - 336 pages $21.99 (Kindle) Publication Date: March 15, 2022
About the Author: William Neuman
William Neuman is an author and journalist who reported for the New York Times for over 15 years. He served as the Times Andes Region Bureau Chief from 2012 to 2016 while based in Caracas, Venezuela. He previously reported for the New York Post and his work has also been featured by the San Francisco Chronicle, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, and The Independent, among others. He began his journalism career while living in Mexico, and has published English translations of several Spanish-language novels. Biography Credit: MacMillan Publishers
About the book: Apple in China: The Capture of the World's Greatest Company by Patrick McGee Scribner - 448 pages $23.95 (Kindle) Publication Date: May 13, 2025
About the Author: Patrick McGee
Business journalist Patrick McGee has written for the Financial Times since 2013, reporting from Hong Kong, Germany, and California. He led the FT’s Apple coverage from 2019 to 2023 and won a San Francisco Press Club Award — best tech article for a newspaper, 2023 — for his deep dive into Apple’s HR problems. His FT magazine cover article, "Inside Peloton's epic run of bungled calls and bad luck," received an Honorable Mention for SABEW's Best in Business Awards, 2022 (co-authored with Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson). Patrick's focus over the past decade has been on Apple, digital advertising, robotaxis, electric vehicles, the Volkswagen diesel scandal, and connected fitness. His writing has appeared in the Times of London, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Irish Times, The Straits Times and The Toronto Star. Previously, he was a bond reporter at The Wall Street Journal in New York. He has a Master’s in global diplomacy from SOAS, University of London, and a degree in religious studies from the University of Toronto. Originally from Calgary, Canada, he resides in the Bay Area. Biography Credit: Patrick-McGee.com
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About the book: Breakneck: China's Quest to Engineer the Future by Dan Wang W.W. Norton & Company - 275 pages $20.99 (Kindle) Publication Date: August 26, 2025
About the Author: Dan Wang
Dan Wang is a Canadian technology analyst and writer, specializing in contemporary China. Wang has been a visiting scholar at the Yale Law School's Paul Tsai China Center, and a research fellow at the Hoover Institution. Formerly the chief technology analyst at Gavekal Dragonomics, a Shanghai-based economic research firm, and a fellow at Yale Law School’s Paul Tsai China Center, Wang lived in China during all three years of the country’s zero-Covid strategy. Being one of the few foreigners on the ground in China helped him to see the state’s logic while the rest of the world looked on in bafflement. Wang was born in Yunnan, China. He was raised in Canada, where his family lived in both Ottawa and Toronto. As a teenager, he participated in the Royal Canadian Army Cadet program in Ottawa. Wang later moved to the United States. He studied economics and philosophy at the University of Rochester, graduating in 2014 Wang has commented extensively on U.S.-China relations through the lens of technology, including semiconductor manufacturing and social media. In August 2025, his book Breakneck: China's Quest to Engineer the Future was released. Biography Credit: Wikipedia & Global Speakers Bureau
Disclaimer: Articles are chosen for relevance and circulated for information only. Views expressed are those of the respective journalists / authors. Republication does not infer endorsement. Book Review Editor: Ralph Mahar - Suggestions for Book Reviews will be gratefully received at thepillarsociety.bulletins@gmail.com Avertissement : Les articles sont choisis pour leur pertinence et sont diffusés à titre d'information seulement. Les opinions exprimées sont celles des journalistes/auteurs respectifs. La republication n'implique pas d'approbation. Rédacteur en chef des critiques de livres : Ralph Mahar - Les suggestions de critiques de livres sont les bienvenues à l'adresse suivante : thepillarsociety.bulletins@gmail.com
About the book: Chasing Chi: The FBI’s Groundbreaking Pursuit of China’s Most Prolific Spy Family by James E. Gaylord Prometheus - 408 pages $49.99 (Kindle) Publication Date: December 16, 2025
About the Author: James E. Gaylord
James E. Gaylord served as an FBI Special Agent and Supervisor for over thirty years, leading counterintelligence and counterterrorism efforts against every major hostile nation and international terrorist organization. In 2004, he spearheaded one of the most complex espionage investigations imaginable, that of Chi Mak, his family, and his associates. The efforts of Agent Gaylord and his squad led to the unprecedented, historic convictions of six spies for China and multiple counterintelligence awards. Since these convictions, Special Agent Gaylord has supplied hundreds of case briefings worldwide to academia, government agencies, defense contractors, and professional and private organizations. He has also provided interviews and materials for various magazine articles, television programs, podcasts, US intelligence training sessions, and museum exhibitions. In 2017, he concluded his FBI career supervising investigations of the People's Republic of China and went on to direct corporate ethics matters in the private sector. Biography Credit: ChasingChi.com
About the book: The Dark Side of the Earth: Russia’s Short-lived Victory over Totalitarianism by Mikhail Zygar Scribner - 560 pages $33.99 (Kindle) Publication Date: November 11, 2025
About the Author: Mikhail Zygar
Mikhail Zygar is a journalist, historian, and best-selling author, known for his work on Russian politics, propaganda, and authoritarianism. He was the founding editor-in-chief of TV Rain (Dozhd), Russia’s only independent news television channel, which became a critical voice against state censorship until he was forced into exile. Zygar is the author of several internationally acclaimed books, including "All the Kremlin’s Men," a best-seller that provides an insider’s account of Vladimir Putin’s inner circle; "The Empire Must Die," a deeply researched narrative on the fall of the Russian Empire and the revolutionary forces of the early 20th century; and "War and Punishment," which was named one of The New Yorker’s best nonfiction books of 2023. His books have been translated into multiple languages and are widely used in academic and journalistic discussions on Russia. Zygar is a leading commentator on Russian affairs, regularly contributing op-eds to The New York Times, Time Magazine, Vanity Fair, Foreign Affairs, and The Washington Post. He is also a frequent guest on CNN, providing expert analysis on Russia and global politics. In 2018, he was a TED Fellow and delivered a TED Talk on history, propaganda, and disinformation. He has lectured at leading universities, including Harvard, MIT, Columbia, Georgetown, and Stanford. In 2024, he taught at Princeton University’s School of Public and International Affairs, and in 2025, at Columbia University. Biography Credit: Yale University - School of Global Affairs
About the book: King of Kings: The Iranian Revolution: A Story of Hubris, Delusion and Catastrophic Miscalculation by Scott Anderson Signal - 745 pages 18.99 (Indigo) Publication Date: August 5, 2025
About the Author: Scott Anderson
Scott Anderson is a contributing writer for the New York Times Magazine. He is the author, most recently, of Lawrence in Arabia: War, Deceit, Imperial Folly and the Making of the Modern Middle East, which was shortlisted for the National Book Critics Circle Award. The New York Times literary critic Janet Maslin called it ''superbly fine-tuned'' and an ''original, illuminating history that requires and rewards close attention.'' Anderson was raised in East Asia and attended the Iowa Writers' Workshop. In his 33 years as a war correspondent, he has covered conflicts in Chechnya, Egypt, Israel, Lebanon, Northern Ireland, Sri Lanka and Sudan. He and Pellegrin have been collaborating for the magazine since 1999. Biography Credit: Pulitzer Centre
À propos du livre : Le roi des rois : La révolution iranienne : une histoire d'orgueil, d'illusion et d'erreur de calcul catastrophique par Scott Anderson Signal - 745 pages 18,99 $ (Indigo) Date de publication : 5 août 2025
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