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AI, Automation, and War: The Rise of a Military-Tech Complex
by Anthony king Why AI will not replace human strategic judgement in war Is AI about to automate war? Will autonomous drone swarms and killer robots controlled by AI dominate the battlespace and determine the winner? In AI, Automation, and War, Anthony King debunks this science fiction–tinged narrative of AI’s military potential, exploring instead the actual applications of AI by the armed forces over the last decade. He finds that AI is not going to replace human commanders and combatants; the machines are not about to take over. Rather, the military has used, and will continue to use, AI to process data at a scale and speed that exceeds the capacity of humans. AI will be used primarily to improve military understanding and intelligence. King explains that military commanders, enabled by the data processing power of AI, will be able to see the battlespace at a previously unattainable depth, fidelity, and speed. AI will help the armed forces plan, target, and conduct cyber operations faster and more effectively. In order to harness AI in this way, however, a radical organisational transformation is taking place. The armed forces are integrating civilian technologists into operational headquarters to work alongside military staff. This partnership between the armed forces and the technology sector signals the emergence of a military-tech complex that promises to be as powerful in this century as the military-industrial complex was in the last.
Indigo / Amazon
"These days, much of what is written about the effect of artificial intelligence on war is hyperbolic and speculative. It is thus refreshing to come across a book that is grounded in current military practices. . . . [I]nformative and thoughtful."---Lawrence D. Freedman, Foreign Affairs "A truly thought-provoking tour de force." ― War on the Rocks “At last, a book about AI and war that is based on realities and not science fiction. Anthony King does not dispute that AI is affecting the conduct of war in significant ways, but it does so as an enabler—as a servant of those who fight, not as their putative master. AI analyses masses of data at speed, and the algorithms it generates inform commanders and can shape their decisions, but it is not taking those decisions, let alone automating warfare.”—Sir Hew Strachan, University of St Andrews “This is an excellent book: sensible, well-researched and ultimately persuasive. King offers a convincing sociological caution about some of the unwarranted hype currently surrounding military AI. I think it will also generate spin-off research on the ‘military-tech complex’—it has certainly piqued my interest.”—Paul D. Williams, George Washington University “The author writes well, in an engaging style yet with a rich theoretical grounding. It’s refreshing to see a theoretical take on technology, and the 126 interviews are impressive as a form of evidence. Readers will learn quite a bit.”—Sarah Kreps, Cornell University “The use of artificial intelligence for military purposes has been a topic of fascinated speculation and debate among academics and practitioners for more than a decade. Most of these discussions have focused on the application of AI through specific platforms or against particular military problems. Anthony King falls on the conservative end regarding the extent to which he thinks AI will transform war. Many of his arguments about the limitations of AI are important caveats to its use by the military. But the true value of this book is in its wider perspective, examining how the industry that builds and enables AI intersects with the military to produce a new military industrial complex and alters civil-military relations. These are questions that have been understudied, and to that end Anthony King’s contribution to the debates surrounding artificial intelligence and its role in war advances the discussion in a timely and insightful manner.”—Jack Watling, the Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies
See also: AI Automation and War as reviewed by Lawrence Freedman for Foreign Affairs – March / April 2026
AI, Automation and War as reviewed by Dr. Kaushik Roy, Jadavpur University, Calcutta, India for Strategy Page
Photo Credit: Medium - The Artificial Soldier: Exploring the Growing Use of Artificial Intelligence in Modern Warfare
About the book: AI, Automation, and War: The Rise of a Military-Tech Complex by Anthony King Scribner – 228 pages 35.99 (Kobo) Publication Date: August 19, 2025
About the Author: Anthony KingAnthony King is a professor of sociology at the University of Exeter. He has written on sport, social theory, and the armed forces including his most recent books The Transformation of Europe’s Armed Forces: from the Rhine to Afghanistan (Cambridge University Press, 2011), The Combat Soldier: Infantry Tactics and Cohesion in the Twentieth and Twenty-first Centuries (Oxford University Press, 2013), and (forthcoming) Frontline: Combat and Cohesion in the Twenty-first Century (Oxford University Press, 2015). He is currently working on a book on divisional headquarters. Biography Credit: samuelkatzonline.com 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
NATIONAL BESTSELLER • WINNER OF THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FOR NONFICTION • Finalist for the 2025 National Book Critics Circle Award for Criticism • Finalist for the Hilary Weston Writers' Trust Prize for Nonfiction • Longlisted for the 2026 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction • A New York Times Notable Book of 2025 • A New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice • Named a Best Book of 2025 by The Globe and Mail, NPR, Book Riot From award-winning novelist and journalist Omar El Akkad comes a powerful reckoning with what it means to live in a West that betrays its fundamental values. On October 25, 2023, after just three weeks of the bombardment of Gaza, Omar El Akkad put out a tweet: “One day, when it’s safe, when there’s no personal downside to calling a thing what it is, when it’s too late to hold anyone accountable, everyone will have always been against this.” This tweet has been viewed more than 10 million times. As an immigrant who came to the West, El Akkad believed that it promised freedom. A place of justice for all. But in the past twenty years, reporting on the War on Terror, Ferguson, climate change, Black Lives Matter protests, and more, and watching the unmitigated slaughter in Gaza, El Akkad has come to the conclusion that much of what the West promises is a lie. That there will always be entire groups of human beings it has never intended to treat as fully human—not just Arabs or Muslims or immigrants, but whoever falls outside the boundaries of privilege. One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This is a chronicle of that painful realization, a moral grappling with what it means, as a citizen of the U.S., as a father, to carve out some sense of possibility in a time of carnage. This is El Akkad’s nonfiction debut, his most raw and vulnerable work to date, a heartsick breakup letter with the West. It is a brilliant articulation of the same breakup we are watching all over the United States, in family rooms, on college campuses, on city streets; the consequences of this rupture are just beginning. This book is for all the people who want something better than what the West has served up. This is the book for our time.
See also: "[A] bracing memoir and manifesto. . . . With precision and passion, [El Akkad] compels readers to close the emotional distance between 'us' and 'them' and to consider the immense suffering of civilians with renewed urgency." —New York Times "One Day is powerful, angry, but always compelling in its moral logic, and damn hard to put down. . . . by the end my heart was drumming. . . . For me it was cathartic, almost spiritual. . . . It is an important book, a must-read." —Dina Nayeri, The Guardian "A philosophically rich critique of state violence and mass apathy." —Kirkus Reviews "[A]n urgent call for justice throughout the world and a deconstruction of the lies that exist within the promises offered by the West. One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This is both vulnerable and necessary, calling together those who want something better than what the West has served up to continue the fight for a more just future." —Chicago Review of Books "A lightning bolt of a book—bracing in its personal honesty, political insight, and moral clarity. Omar el Akkad sets fire to the lies we comfort ourselves with and in doing so illuminates a way forwards.” —Riz Ahmed "One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This wants us to answer its questions with the greatest possible honesty, and to embrace those answers as our true companions. What it gives us is nothing less than lionhearted, dauntless, unembellished love." —Megha Majumdar, author of A Burning "Part elegy, part rallying cry, this magnificent book should, and will, be required reading for future generations trying to reckon with one of humanity’s darkest chapters." —Téa Obreht, author of The Morningside "An extraordinary, essential work of fury and humanity, as well as a damning indictment of Western hypocrisy and institutional malignity. I cannot conceive of a more important book to read right now, or a more incisive and elegant articulation of this dark time. Every page contains a sentence or a paragraph I wanted to tear out and nail to the wall. I wish I could send a copy of El Akkad’s moral call to arms to every person in America, every person in the West—the outraged and the apathetic alike." —Dan Sheehan, author of Restless Souls
See also: One Day as reviewed by Dina Nayeri The Guardian – February 14, 2025
About the book: One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This
by Omar El Akkad
McClelland and Stewart – 188 pages $16.99 (Kindle)
Publication Date: February 25, 2025
About the Author: Jon Meacham
Omar El Akkad is an author and journalist. He was born in Egypt, grew up in Qatar, moved to Canada as a teenager, and now lives in the United States. El Akkad has reported on issues including the NATO-led war in Afghanistan, the military trials at Guantanamo Bay, and the Arab Spring revolution in Egypt. He is a two-time winner of both the Pacific Northwest Booksellers’ Award and the Oregon Book Award, a National Newspaper Award for investigative reporting, and the Edward Goff Penny Memorial Prize for Young Canadian Journalists. El Akkad was a finalist for the 2017 Atwood Gibson Writers’ Trust Fiction Prize for his novel American War. He lives in Portland, Oregon. Biography Credit: Writers’ Trust of Canada.
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
A FOREVER WAR: ISRAEL, PALESTINE AND THE STRUGGLES FOR STATEHOOD
BY COLIN SHINDLER FEBRUARY 26, 2026 PUBLISHER: SWIFT PRESS
A Forever War: Israel, Palestine and the struggles for statehood
by Colin Shindler For over a century, the Middle East has been riven by conflict driven by Jewish and Arab nationalism. They came about at the same point in history with claims over the same territory.
Their encounter has evolved into one of the most enduring and divisive geopolitical issues of the modern era – one defined by its complexity and its extremism and unfolding against a backdrop of 24-hour rolling news and social-media outrage. A Forever War: Israel, Palestine and the Struggles for Statehood reflects on the key questions: How did this state of affairs come about? And will it be a forever war?
At a time when so much coverage is based on prejudice, fear and ignorance, Colin Shindler, Emeritus Professor of Israel Studies at SOAS, presents an authoritative view of this tragic conflict and dissects the current situation. Tracing the religious, political and historical motivations of both sides throughout many decades of turmoil and upheaval, A Forever War is the concise and non-partisan overview of the conflict that is so sorely needed.
“[What emerges from this synthesis is neither cynicism nor naïveté. Shindler believes partition remains the least bad path, and he makes that case by showing how every non‑partition experiment—unilateralism, strategic ambiguity, managed stalemate—has tended to strengthen the rejectionists who thrive on absolutes..”― Jean-Thomas Nicole - Policy Advisor with Public Safety Canada. The Preface says that the book is ‘intended as a contribution towards understanding the complex background to this hundred-year war’ yet there is no discussion of the nature of the Occupation which has been at the heart of the Israel-Palestine struggle since 1967. Shindler acknowledges the illegality, under the Geneva Convention, of Israeli settlements but there is no recognition of what might be achieved by the implementation of international law nor of any possible role which the United Nations might have in ending this ‘Forever War’. - Mike Scott-Baumann - Trustee of the Britain Palestine Project.
See also: A Forever War as reviewed by Jean-Thomas Nicole for The Cipher Brief – February 23, 2026
Photo: Shutterstock.
About the book: A Forever War: Israel, Palestine and the struggles for statehood by Colin Shindler Swift Press – 256 pages $17.99 (Kindle) Publication Date: February 26, 2026
About the Author: Emma Ashford
Colin Shindler is emeritus professor at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London. He became the first professor of Israel Studies in the UK in 2008 and was the founding chairman of the European Association of Israeli Studies (EAIS) in 2009.
He is the author of numerous books including his History Of Modern Israel (Cambridge University Press 2008, 2013).
The History of Modern Israel has been translated into Italian, Polish and Estonian.
His main interests lie in the evolution of the Israeli Right, the changes in the approach of the British and European Left towards Israel since 1948 and the emigration movement of Soviet Jews between 1917 and 1991.
He worked for the British campaign for Soviet Jewry between 1968 and 1977 – and edited the weekly Jews in the USSR between 1972 and 1975. His first book, published in 1978, was Exit Visa which detailed the struggle of the Jewish emigration movement in the USSR.
He was the co-chairman of the Universities Committee for Soviet Jewry between 1970 and 1971 and political secretary of the World Union of Jewish Students between 1970 and 1971. He edited the Jewish Quarterly between 1985 and 1994. He edited Judaism Today between 1995 and 1998.
He lectures and broadcasts nationally and internationally. He has written for and reviewed for The Times, Guardian, New York Times, Plus61j, Jewish Independent, Jewish News, Jewish Chronicle, Jerusalem Post, Ha’aretz, History Today, Times Literary Supplement, New Statesman and many other journals. The author of over 800 articles and reviews since 1969 on Israel and Jewish political history – all of which can be located on this website.
He is currently honorary president of the EAIS.
FIRST AMONG EQUALS: U.S. FOREIGN POLICY IN A MULTIPOLAR WORLD BY EMMA ASHFORD AUGUST 26, 2025 PUBLISHER: YALE UNIVERSITY PRESS
For the past thirty years, post–Cold War triumphalism and a desire to reshape the world have defined U.S. foreign policy. But the failures of the global war on terror, the return of conflict to Europe, and growing tensions with China all suggest that this approach to the world is flawed. For the United States—the country that has ruled the international system largely alone since 1991—this moment is particularly perilous. Can policymakers adapt American foreign policy to better fit the twenty-first century, and in doing so avoid the pitfalls and excesses of the past three decades? In this book, Emma Ashford proposes a return to a more pragmatic, realist set of strategic principles, ones better suited for the emerging multipolar world, that would pursue narrower U.S. interests, cultivate the capabilities of friendly states, and emphasize room for maneuver over rigid alliances. In this she provides a valuable counterpoint to today’s liberal internationalist consensus, as well as a road map for policymakers who seek to change the course of U.S. foreign policy.
“[A] valuable new book. . . . Ashford has done an excellent job in mapping out what a better, more restrained strategy would look like in practice. U.S. policymakers would do well to read this book and follow her recommendations.”―Daniel Larison, Responsible Statecraft “Every so often a book comes along that slices through comforting illusions and forces readers to face the world as it is. Emma Ashford’s First Among Equals is one of those books.”―Andrew Latham, Real Clear Defense “Ashford’s First Among Equals dismantles the myth of unchallenged U.S. primacy with incisive clarity. To navigate a more multipolar and leaderless world, she challenges policymakers to ditch the liberal hegemony playbook and radically rethink America’s global role before it’s too late. Essential reading.”—Ian Bremmer, Eurasia Group and GZERO Media “In First Among Equals, Ashford affirms her voice as important and her ideas as insightful for scholarly and policy debates about the twenty-first-century world and optimal American foreign policy strategy.”—Bruce W. Jentleson, Duke University “In First Among Equals, Ashford delivers a bold reassessment of America’s role in a shifting world. Through sharp analysis and pragmatic solutions, she charts a path beyond unipolar overreach and toward a balanced, interest-driven foreign policy for the United States.”—Mark Leonard, director, European Council on Foreign Relations
See also: First Amont Equals as reviewed by Stacie E. Goddard for Foreign Affairs – February 17, 2026
About the book: First Among Equals: U.S. Foreign Policy in a Multipolar World by Emma Ashford Yale University Press – 280 pages 43.22 (Kindle) Publication Date: August 26, 2025
Emma Ashford is a senior fellow with the Reimagining US Grand Strategy program at the Stimson Center, where her work focuses on questions of grand strategy, international security, and the future of US foreign policy. She was previously a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council's Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security, and a research fellow in defense and foreign policy at the Cato Institute. Her writing has been featured in publications such as Foreign Affairs, the Texas National Security Review, the New York Times, the Washington Post, and War on the Rocks, among others. She writes a biweekly column for Foreign Policy magazine.
Her first book, Oil, the State, and War: The Foreign Policies of Petrostates, was published by Georgetown University Press in June 2022. Ashford was previously a nonresident fellow at the Modern War Institute at West Point. She is an adjunct assistant professor in the Security Studies Program at Georgetown University and a term member of the Council on Foreign Relations. Her next book, First Among Equals: U.S. Foreign Policy for a Multipolar World, is forthcoming from Yale University Press in 2025.
RACE AGAINST TERROR: CHASING AN AL QAEDA KILLER AT THE DAWN OF THE FOREVER WAR
BY JAKE TAPPER OCTOBER 7, 2025 PUBLISHER: ATRIA BOOKS
Race Against Terror: Chasing an Al Qaeda Killer at the Dawn of the Forever War
by Jake Tapper “Not only riveting to read but also shines an essential light on the quest for justice in the modern age of terrorism.” —David Grann, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Killers of the Flower Moon In this thrilling true story, #1 New York Times bestselling author Jake Tapper uncovers an investigation—unlike any other in American history—to lock up a dangerous terrorist before he’s set free. June 2011: The case has been cold for nearly ten years when a terrorist fleeing the Arab Spring turns himself in and confesses to killing American soldiers in Afghanistan. This brazen act sets off an unlikely chain of events that puts the entirety of the American justice system to the test. They have the killer, but no evidence to prove the murders happened. Determined to deliver justice, a team led by federal prosecutors Dave Bitkower and Shreve Ariail must traverse the globe, uncovering facts across thousands of miles and tracing shocking plots of terror in order to prevent tragedy from striking again. Through intense reporting and meticulous recreation, Race Against Terror shows a man radicalized to enact violence, courageous soldiers who risked their lives for each other, and the diverse set of men and women who work tirelessly to stay one step ahead of disaster. In this gripping narrative history CNN’s Jake Tapper reveals the true costs of the War on Terror and delivers a salient warning for the increasing threats of extremism we face to this day
“A riveting story with a master's sublime command. There are moments when this work of non-fiction seems more like a novel. It is taut, suspenseful, and true. I couldn't put it down.” —Ken Burns “It’s no exaggeration to say that Race Against Terror has everything: brilliant detective work, combat scenes, the stunning trial of terrorist Spin Ghul in a Brooklyn courtroom of all unlikely places.” —James Patterson “Part legal thriller, part war reportage, Race Against Terror is an extraordinary book—one that is not only riveting to read, but also shines an essential light on the quest for justice in the modern age of terrorism.” —David Grann, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Wager “A masterclass in true-crime storytelling. Jake Tapper delivers a riveting, behind-the-scenes account of the only terrorist ever tried and convicted for killing U.S. soldiers overseas...Fascinating, fast-paced, and deeply human, this book reads like an edge-of-your-seat spy novel.” —Brad Thor, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Edge of Honor “Jake Tapper brings his investigative and narrative talents to bear in weaving the military, legal, political and deeply personal threads of the high-stakes pursuit of the terrorist Spin Ghul. This enthralling history delivers important context for understanding the war on terror in the present day.”—Douglas Brunt, New York Times bestselling author of The Mysterious Case of Rudolf Diesel “Tapper’s meticulous reporting and narrative flair will keep you engrossed until the thrilling end.” —Craig Whitlock, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Afghanistan Papers
See also: Race Against Terror as reviewed by Lawrence Freedman for Foreign Affairs – February 17, 2026
Race Against Terror as reviewed for Kirkus Reviews – August 1, 2025
The Qaeda operative Ibrahim Harun, known by the nom de guerre Spin Ghul (Pashto for White Rose), in 2017.Credit...Photo illustration by The New York Times; Photograph from U.S. Attorney’s office, via Reuters
About the book: Race Against Terror: Chasing an Al Qaeda Killer at the Dawn of the Forever War by Jake Tapper Atria Books – 336 pages 20.99 (Kindle) Publication Date: October 7, 2025
About the Author: Jake Tapper Jake Tapper is an award-winning American journalist who currently serves as Chief Washington Correspondent for CNN and the anchor of the network’s weekday television news show The Lead with Jake Tapper and Sunday morning affairs program State of the Union.
Tapper has been awarded two National Headliner Awards: Best Newscast and Best Coverage of a Major News Event—for his team’s non-stop coverage of the devastating 2015 Paris Terror Attacks. Before working with CNN, Tapper worked for ABC News for nine years, where he served as Senior White House Correspondent and was awarded the Merriman Smith Award for presidential coverage.
Tapper has contributed to Good Morning America, Nightline, World News with Diane Sawyer, NPR’s All Things Considered, and, for six months, served as interim anchor for ABC’s This Week. He has written for The New York Times, The Washington Post, GQ, The New Yorker, The Los Angeles Times, and more, and his comic strip “Capitol Hell” was published for almost 10 years in Roll Call. He is the author of the 2021 historical fiction thriller The Devil May Dance and the 2018 fiction thriller The Hellfire Club, and The Outpost: An Untold Story of American Valor (2012).
Prior to joining ABC News, Tapper was the national correspondent for Salon.com, writing on a range of topics from political profiles to the accounting scandal at Enron. Tapper graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Dartmouth College and got his start in journalism at the Washington City Paper, where he won a Society of Professional Journalists award for his work.
Biography Credit: Leading Authorities Inc.
The War Below: Lithium, Copper, and the Global Battle to Power Our Lives
by Ernest Scheyder LONGLISTED FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FOR NONFICTION AND THE 2024 FINANCIAL TIMES AND SCHRODERS BUSINESS BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARD This unprecedented look inside the global battle to power our lives is “required reading for anyone interested in the 360-degree impacts of the energy transition” (Daniel Poneman, former US Deputy Secretary of Energy) from acclaimed Reuters reporter Ernest Scheyder. To build electric vehicles, solar panels, cell phones, and millions of other devices means the world must dig more mines to extract lithium, copper, and other vital building blocks. But mines are deeply unpopular, even as they have a role to play in fighting climate change and powering crucial technologies. These tensions have sparked a worldwide reckoning over the sourcing of necessary materials, and no one understands the complexities of these issues better than Ernest Scheyder. The War Below reveals the explosive brawl among industry titans, conservationists, community groups, policymakers, and many others over whether the habitats of rare plants, sensitive ecosystems, Indigenous holy sites, and other places should be dug up for their riches. With accessible and “illuminating” (Chris Miller, author of Chip War) writing, Scheyder shows the human toll of this war and explains why recycling and other newer technologies have struggled to gain widespread use. He also expertly chronicles Washington’s attempts to wean itself off supplies from China, the global leader in mineral production and processing. The War Below paints a powerfully honest and nuanced picture of what is at stake in this new fight for energy independence, revealing how America and the rest of the world’s hunt for the “new oil” directly affects us all.
"Authoritative analysis of a crucial issue and the tough choices ahead, backed by solid research.." —Kirkus Reviews – January 30, 2024 “In clear and nuanced prose, he analyzes the search for these building blocks of renewable energy and the barriers to getting them…Scheyder, who has covered the energy beat for Reuters, begins by discussing the kinds of new metals that will be needed, why they are important, and where we might find them. Most important, he convincingly demonstrates that by offshoring these minerals, the U.S. places itself and its industries in a vulnerable position.’ – as reviewed by Terry W. Hartle for The Christian Science Monitor – May 9, 2024
See also: The War Below as reviewed by Barry Eichengreen for Foreign Affairs – May / June 2025
The War Below as reviewed by Kirkus Reviews – January 30, 2024
Published on February 18, 2021 at 19:44 pm (GMT +1) – The Africa Report
About the book: The War Below: Lithium, Copper, and the Global Battle to Power Our Lives by Ernest Scheyder Atria / One Signal Publishers – 384 pages 17.99 (Kindle) Publication Date: February 15, 2025
About the Author: Ernest Scheyder
Ernest Scheyder is an award-winning journalist, author, and senior correspondent for Reuters. He specializes in distilling complex topics for a wide range of audiences, including and especially everyday consumers directly affected by regulatory, political, and industry transitions. In 2024, he published the widely acclaimed book, The War Below: Lithium, Copper, and the Global Battle to Power Our Lives (One Signal/Simon & Schuster), a human-focused narrative exploring the people that live on the energy transition’s front lines and an urgent guide to the rapidly growing critical minerals supply chain. The book was named a top pick by Fortune’s editors and earned plaudits from The Financial Times, The Wall Street Journal, Marketplace, Barron’s, WBUR’s On Point, Science magazine, The Christian Science Monitor, BBC World, Kirkus (starred review) and many others. Energy historian Daniel Yergin declared the book “vividly captures the physical and political landscape over which the future is being fought.” A native of Maine, Ernest’s interest in journalism and writing began when he founded his high school newspaper. He attended the University of Maine and Columbia Journalism School. He joined The Associated Press as a business reporter in 2007 just before the fall of Lehman Brothers and Bear Stearns, helping to chronicle the early days of the global financial crisis. Since first joining Reuters in 2009, Ernest has reported deeply on the two biggest energy transitions of our modern times: the U.S. shale oil revolution and the clean energy shift. He based for nearly two years in North Dakota, covering the shale oil boom from a unique perch. His coverage of Exxon Mobil and Chevron centered on helping consumers understand how their pocketbooks are affected by the oil industry’s moves. He reported in text and video from three OPEC meetings in Vienna, directly chronicling the organization’s economic influence on the global stage. As demand rose for lithium, copper, and other critical minerals, he dove into reporting on the people and places reshaping global energy production and the geopolitical implications of this transition. Ernest also covered the 2020 U.S. presidential election campaign for Reuters, including a stint embedded with the Biden campaign. Along with colleagues, he was awarded a Society of News Design Award of Excellence in 2024 for an in-depth, visual-first investigation into deep-sea mining. His report on the ubiquity of the chemical bisphenol A was named a finalist for a Deadline Club award. He has covered multiple hurricanes and other natural disasters, including a deeply reported investigation into the Red Cross’s inept response to Superstorm Sandy. He also covered the Sandy Hook shootings and the Penn State abuse scandal. Ernest’s work has been featured in TIME, Fast Company, Marketplace, On Point, Barron’s, and many others. He is a frequent moderator and panelist at a range of conferences and is a passionate support of the Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation. He lives in Houston, Texas, with his family. Biography Credit: ernestscheyder.com
We're very fortunate this week to have a review written by our friend and former colleague, Phil Gratton. Phil is also a member of The Pillar Society; Ottawa Gatineau Chapter.
Phil is reviewing The Marionette; a new novel by Canadian author Terry Fallis which is uniquely Canadian in its setting, its characters and - as you will learn - brings the reader to what Pillar Society members will recognize as some very familiar territory.
Sincere thanks to Phil for introducing us to this author and for sharing his perspectives on this book.
Ralph Mahar
The Marionette; A Novelby Terry Fallis
Published: October 7, 2025
Reviewed by Phil Gratton If, like me, you feel there are too few novels that feature CSIS operatives or other elements of the real-life Canadian intelligence community, The Marionette (2025), the latest novel by Canadian author Terry Fallis, may be for you.
The book is set in the same universe as a previous book, Operation Angus (2021) and introduces a new cast of characters while bringing back the eponymous and affable Minister of Public Safety, Angus McLintock, in a supporting role.
The Marionette is an “everyman story” in which an average Joe reluctantly gets caught up in a thrilling intrigue. Except that the main character, James Norval, is anything but average, being an international best-selling spy thriller novelist. And in willingly jumping into the fray, he is anything but reluctant: “Yes! I’m in! I! Am! In!” he eagerly blurts out when asked to be part of a top-secret Canadian government mission.
Mali is in lockdown after a presidential coup, stranding fifteen Canadian mine workers behind its border. Minister McLintock approaches Norval to help the Canadian Security Intelligence Service discreetly get an operative into the country to assess the situation and come up with a plan to exfiltrate the miners. The president of Mali, you see, is a huge fan of Norval’s books.
But there’s much more going on, as our hero soon discovers.
I enjoyed Fallis’ unassuming, family-friendly wit (Fallis is a two-time winner of the Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour) and, as a voracious reader of pulpish action thrillers, I appreciated reading one that didn’t include gratuitous violence or coarse language — not like, I imagine, the kind of novels James Norval might write, starring his improbably named swashbuckling CIA agent Chase Hunter.
As with any novelization of CSIS activities, I couldn’t help comparing it to my own experience. In the book’s acknowledgements, Fallis doesn’t obviously thank anyone from the Service for providing insight, unlike he did in Operation Angus, so I assume he wrote The Marionette relying on public sources and artistic license.
There is a recurring motif about Norval having applied to become a CSIS intelligence officer some 30 years before but being screened out, to his resentful disappointment. Without spoiling too much, I’ll reveal that Norval eventually learns he was turned down because he was deemed “too witty, too sarcastic, too quick, too thoughtful, too independent, too eloquent, too confident, and too opinionated.” I’ll hazard to say that we’ve all met real-life characters who fit this profile at the Service!
In any event, the book was a fun read, low on cynicism (something we can all do without these days) and high on inoffensive dad-joke-level humour. And while Mali has a history of violent presidential coups and terrorist incidents, the storyline felt more like an episode of The A-Team (not a bad thing in itself) than a gritty John le Carré novel.
And of course, as we well know, intelligence operations are a team sport. Norval and his CSIS partner run the entire venture mostly autonomously and under the direct authority of the Minister of Public Safety and his national security advisor, a former Director of CSIS — clearly a case of “selective realism.”
I mean, can you imagine an operation micromanaged at that level? (Ok, ok… best not to answer that.)
I look forward to reading more spy thrillers from Fallis, especially given how few are told from a Canadian perspective. Speaking of which, I need to get to reading Marc La Ferrière’s Escalating Fury.
Who else is writing Canadian spy novels, these days? Or in the past? Drop your favourites in the comments.
About the Author: Terry Fallis
Terry Fallis has had a successful career first in politics, and then in public relations and social media consulting. In 2005, he wrote The Best Laid Plans, his debut satirical novel of Canadian politics. After a year of unsuccessfully peddling the manuscript to agents and publishers, he took matters into his own hands. He podcast the book, chapter-by-chapter, gathering rave reviews from legions of listeners in Canada and around the world. Encouraged by the response, he self-published the novel in September 2007 and hit the road to promote it. In 2008, The Best Laid Plans won the Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour, the first self-published novel ever honoured with this venerable literary award. Within a week, Fallis signed a publishing deal with McClelland & Stewart. The Best Laid Plans was subsequently crowned the winner of the 10th anniversary edition of Canada Reads. In 2010, M&S also published the sequel, The High Road.
Biography Credit: University of Toronto
About the Reviewer: Phil Gratton
Phil is the former Director General of the Data Management and Exploitation branch at the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), where he led teams of security practitioners in innovative and compliant data solutions in support of national security investigations. He previously served as the organization’s Chief of Cyber Centre, investigating threats emanating from state and terrorist cyber actors. Phil joined CSIS in 1997and has since been involved in a broad range of national security investigations at the Service’s national headquarters in Ottawa, in various regional offices across the country, and in locations around the world.
In November 2021, Phil embarked on an interchange with the Canada School of Public Service as part of their Digital Academy, to help federal public servants and their leadership gain the knowledge, skills and mindsets they need to flourish in the digital age.
In May 2025, Phil began a new career path and was sworn into office as a bilingual Justice of the Peace with the Ontario Court of Justice, serving in Ottawa in the East Region. A dear friend and colleague, Phil is a member of The Pillar Society; Ottawa Gatineau Chapter.
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
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
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.
'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.
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
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