The Shadow War audiobook

It’s a very telling question: “Are we losing a war few of us realize we’re fighting?”Yes, as Jim Sciutto’s very detailed and disturbing book reveals, and it’s mostly a war without a physical battle but with more devastating potential for disruption of the United States and Western civilization. This is the nature of conflict in the 21st century - - land grabs extending the disputed borders of both Russia and China, exercises in outer space near the satellites we depend on, undersea activity near the Trans-Atlantic cable network linking the U.S, with Europe, divisive propaganda on social media and possible election tampering, cyber theft by China of U.S. technical property and blueprints - - it’s all detailed and documented here. More than just a well-researched documentation of these acts calculated to undermine and discredit the United States, Sciutto also provides analysis, detailing the lessons learned from the various acts of the Shadow War, and proposing a nine-step plan of preparation, defense, and counter-measures. Here’s hoping the right people in government pay attention to this important book and heed the warning signs. After twenty years covering foreign affairs in the world, Sciutto noticed some similarities in authoritarian stares and wrote an article titled “The Police State Playbook”. In many instances counties like Russia, China, Myanmar, Saudi Arabia and Syria mimicked each other, and too many of those similarities seem to me like they are no longer far from home. Sciutto writes: “The ‘playbook’ went something like this. They each blamed any dissent at home on enemies abroad. They each pointed to perceived victimization in the past to rally their people to a common cause today. They each dismissed dissidents and other critics as traitors. They each fed their population false information. And, together, they justified whole host of bad to reprehensible behaviors on the raw emotions of fear and hate.” According to Sciutto, behind the scenes the military and intelligence agencies within the U.S. government are aware of Russian and Chinese interference and are keeping tabs on these activities. However, there is no official federal program to address the problems directly. I’m especially concerned that the upcoming 2020 elections will be truly fair and honest.We need leadership on this issue so that these agencies can respond appropriately, and that leadership is lacking from the Trump administration. President Trump downplays Russia’s tampering and does not call them out, even disputing the assessments of United States intelligence services. He seems to think that these authoritarian leaders like Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping, and Kim Jong-un are his “friends”. The Trump Administration should be at the forefront of developing a strategy for responding to Russian and Chinese efforts to undermine The United States. One can only hope.
This is an important book.

I spent my weekend reading The Shadow War. When I would come across a particularly astonishing (let’s be honest -- HORRIFYING) fact, I’d share it with my life partner Doug. By Sunday afternoon, he was saying, “I’m REALLY READY for you to be done with that book!” Suffice it to say, Jim Sciutto’s news is Not. Good.The book came out in May 2019, and I happened to be in DC during the launch of the book. One Saturday afternoon (May 18th), Sciutto and Wolf Blitzer (both CNN anchors/reporters) were speaking at the Newseum about the contents of the book. I wandered down to the National Mall and planted myself right in front of these two journalists, prepared to listen with rapt attention. I took gobs of notes. (You can take the recovering journalist out of reporting, but you can’t take the reporting out of a recovering journalist…) Before I’d even cracked the pages of the book, then, I had a few chilling nuggets to look forward to, things like:1) “The shadow war” is, according to Sciutto, when adversarial countries creep alllllll the way up to the line of hostile actions that will bait the United States into a fighting war. China and Russia are constantly seeing what they can get away with. They are winning this war.2) Both China and Russia -- but especially China -- are developing ‘kamikaze satellites,’ which can wander over to other satellites and take them out. Space warfare is a current and going concern.3) Thankfully, Russia and China aren’t currently working together, although they were still both parties to the Iranian nuclear deal as of May 18, 2019.4) US leaders, including/especially presidents, of both parties have totally missed the growing shadow war. Trump’s efforts, though, are pushing back more than any previous president; however, Sciutto is quick to note that Trump is entirely missing the Russian front of the shadow war and much of the Chinese front. (This is not a ringing endorsement of prior presidential administrations…)5) Former intelligence officials of the highest ranks (e.g., National Security Advisor, head of the CIA, etc.) say that some of our wounds are caused by our deep partisan divides and mistrust of one another.6) There’s a major disconnect between those serving on the front lines (they understand what’s happening and how high the stakes are) and the administrators who oversee them (they are cagey and seemingly unconcerned with what’s developing).I could literally write P-A-G-E-S telling you what I found most interesting / important / horrifying in this book, but I’d rather you read it. It’s a quick and easy read, and more importantly, it’s a VITAL READ to understand the future of the United States’s role internationally.However, there are two other things that I feel I simply must nod to in this short review:7) The ability of Chinese and Russian satellites to disrupt American satellites has massively far-reaching consequences. Take, for example, the GPS system, which has 24 satellites that feed information to systems worldwide -- “a massive, state-of-the-art technology provided to the world by the US military for free” (page 159). Should one or more of these satellites be taken out, the ripple effects would be astronomical. Systems affected range from (obviously) navigational systems for all sorts of vehicles, including military craft, airplanes, etc. But less obvious: traffic lights and railroad signals would default to red; air traffic would be suspended; no more weather forecasts from NASA/NOAA; disruption of the nation’s power grid and water treatment plants; financial markets would be shut down (they rely on time provided by GPS to facilitate trading); ATMs and credit cards would no longer work. [Can you see why Doug wanted me to stop reading?!]8) In 20 years as a foreign correspondent, Sciutto developed something he called “The Police State Playbook” -- a set of actions by governments that he saw deployed in countries as far-flung as Egypt, Myanmar, Zimbabwe, China, Russia, and elsewhere. Those actions include:* Blame dissent at home on enemies abroad.* Rally supporters by pointing to perceived past victimization.* Dismiss dissidents and other critics as traitors.* Feed the public false information.* Use fear and hate to justify bad-to-reprehensible behavior.Yeesh.(You can read his full piece in the World Affairs Journal, if you happen to have an institutional subscription to do so.)

The author is a CNN reporter who has been to many places, and even went to the freezing Artic in a nuclear submarine and spoke to the naval officers. This is quite an eye-opening report. The world has morphed into a phase where Great Powers fight shadow wars with each other:1. Russian annexation of Crimea with the little green men. Ultimately a Malaysian civilian aeroplane was tragically shot down. 2. China building a naval base on an artificial island. 3. China hacked into Boeing and others to steal secrets of F35.4. Russian hackers stole DNC and Clinton emails through phishing. 5. Russia has 15 military ice-breakers, America 0. That is the new frontier. 6. Space war: Russia’s kamikaze satellite, China’s kidnaper satellite, their anti-satellite missiles can all know out the global GPS system which is important not only for location, but synchronised firing of weapons. 7. China and Russia’s supersonic anti-ship weapons. 8. Russian poisoning of dissidents in UK soil. 9. Russian hacking of Estonia. What to do?1. Design space and Artic weapons. 2. Warn and show of force to China and Russia. 3. Work with allies. 4. Invest in more and better weapons. This is exactly Thucydides’ trap. So both sides would develop more and more lethal weapons, fearing the other side will get an upper hand. Hopefully the day of actual war will never come...

Really fascinating collection of the state of war we are now engaged in with Russia & China. Covers what has been going on and how we got to where we are today with hacks and electoral manipulation, divisive politics and hate memes. After reading this I am still mystified as to how to resolve the new cyber warfare being wages successfully, and inexpensively, against us. Ultimately we are terribly vulnerable to attack and are doing far to little about it. Great book. Hard to put down.

4.5/5 stars. Jim Sciutto breaks down the ongoing power struggle between the US, Russia, and China, and the actions Russia and China have taken and contribute to take to undermine the US. These actions range from cyber attacks like Russia conducted in Estonia in 2007, to the use of paramilitary forces in Ukraine in the 2014 annexation of Crimea, to China turning reefs in the South China Sea into islands used to project naval power. Other topics are security in space, election hacking, and submarine capabilities. Sciutto’s biggest point is that up until this time, the US lacks a comprehensive strategy on how to deal with these emerging threats. He warns that Russia and China will continue to take actions that are below the threshold of a traditional kinetic response, but still undermine the US significantly. Determining a strategy for combating these threats is essential for the US moving forward.

86%The Shadow War is the red pill to understanding the modern Cold War of today.Jim Sciutto describes each ongoing battle in a casualty free war, one in which that the United States is losing. A very broad and detailed picture is painted of the ongoing foreign policy engagements, such a detailed picture in fact, that it is even unknown by the majority of politics (regardless of party), and even some senior military commanders.Community Discussion Commentary: It seems the larger portion of critiques for this book are centered around a reader's opinion of how the problem can be solved. Sciutto's main effort with his writing was simply that the problem needs to be acknowledged. This is ongoing history, therefore we do not know the endgame of this, nor does Jim Sciutto, nor does the entire U.S. Intelligence community, and finally nor does the reader. I think it is unfair to this book to hinder its rating, due to your own self righteous opinion of how the world should be ran. ("Tears for Fears-Everybody Wants To Rule The World" echoes in the background...)That being said what did I dislike about this book?I certainly agree with other reviewers that this book feels largely like a compilation of informative news articles, mixed in with some historical backgrounds and political histories. It lacks a cumulative drive towards an end. Maybe I would prefer that Sciutto interjects more of his own opinions throughout each chapter, and explains its relation and connection to the threat's motives/long term strategy; rather then obtusely ending a specific section and sharply transitioning to a new domain. With all being said, The Shadow War will absolutely enlighten you of a worrying reality you've never known of, from a neutral, stoic stance. It will also definitely educate yourself for any further arguments you may have about foreign policy/geopolitics, if that's your kink.

At the end of 2011, Jim Sciutto moved to Beijing to become chief of staff and senior policy adviser to U.S. Ambassador to China Gary Locke, after spending a decade as ABC News senior foreign correspondent. After his two-year stint in China, Sciutto returned to the world of journalism and was named CNN’s chief national-security correspondent. This move from a position in the Obama administration to a major cable-news organization led to familiar complaints that Sciutto was biased, and that he would be unlikely to assess his former colleagues and bosses fairly.But anyone who wanted Sciutto’s new book, The Shadow War: Inside Russia’s and China’s Secret Operations to Defeat America, to offer a flattering portrait of the Obama administration will be deeply disappointed. In fact, anecdote by anecdote, chapter by chapter, Sciutto assembles a stinging indictment. (He’s also not all that impressed with most of the Trump administration’s moves, although he credits it for “aggressively calling out Chinese theft of U.S. secrets.”)More thoughts on this book and the topic it covers here.

As usual, caveat that I didn't walk into this book with much prior knowledge, although I did have passing familiarity with most of the topics mentioned here. I had heard Sciutto on two interviews (one on Axe, one on Recode) and thought he was pretty good there. The book does a good job jumping between his personal experience/observations, the opinions of experts, and the historical/factual record. The basic thesis of the book is that China and Russia (but really mostly Russia) are out to get the US and that their plan is to do everything short of hot war to defeat the US (and allied forces). He goes through various theaters of potential war (cyber, space, politics, business/trade secrets) and various actual incidents (2016 election, Estonia, Ukraine, South China Sea), illustrating what has been done and what can be done. A few things felt like they were missing:- Assessment of the domestic pressures that propel American, Chinese and Russian attitudes- Assessment of Chinese economic strategies (i.e. One Belt One Road)- Non-Military assessments (i.e. State Department gets much less play here)Overall its very interesting

This book was a real eye-opener for me. Sciutto describes the multiple ways that countries like Russia and China are attacking America while staying below the threshold of provoking a war. Russia annexed Crimea from the Ukraine, attacked eastern Ukraine, and hacked the 2016 US Presidential election. China is stealing US technology and manufacturing militarized man-made islands in contested waters. Some of the attacks read like science-fiction, but are real threats against US communications, from destroying satellites to cutting trans-Atlantic cables. Across multiple Administrations, the US response has not been strong enough to deter further activity. For example, our current President will not admit Russian election meddling and will not take any punitive steps against them. We have been slow to acknowledge many of the threats, and are late in responding to them. To be honest, I found this book scary. I only hope the US will be more bipartisan and proactive in working to address these threats. This book is a provocative and illuminating read that I highly recommend. I learned a lot.

I think this book offers some interesting perspectives on aggression by the Chinese and the Russians that falls short of outright war, but threatens the long-term security of the US. One example of this strategy is the expansion and militarization of islands off of China that are considered to be in international waters, and that China previously agreed not to militarize. The author contends that the US response to these aggressions has been weak, and this has encouraged both China and Russia to continue the strategy with further examples like Russia interfering in the 2016 and 2020 elections. Where the US decides to draw the line between what is acceptable or not, and what responses would follow is currently not very clear, but the author's argument is that this is a critical national security issue. So, I would recommend this book, as I found some of its arguments to be quite disturbing, especially in light of recent political events, and the significant doubts that a good chunk of Republicans have about the validity of the 2020 presidential election.

Madeleine Albright has publicly apologized for criticizing Mitt Romney during the 2012 presidential campaign for his claims that Russia is the United States' "number one geopolitical foe." Obama mocked Romney saying "the 1980's are calling for their foreign policy back." Anyone reading The Shadow War would agree Albright's apology was warranted and Obama owes Mitt one as well. Unless of course 44 believes China is US Public Enemy #1...a claim he could certainly make to avoid acquiescing to the junior senator from Utah.Thankfully Sciutto checks the politics at the front dust cover and summarizes some very disturbing events- some well known and others not so much- and in doing so reveals a trend that should scare the hell out of all Americans. Two sophisticated adversaries are waging a war on military, economic, and political fronts while America seems to be sitting on the sidelines and losing territory every day.

We're in the middle of Shadow War ("a strategy of attacking an adversary (with cyberattacks on critical infrastructure, threats to space assets, operations to spark domestic division, and territorial acquisition) while remaining just below the threshold of conventional war.) CNN's Chief National Security Correspondent argues that we are not winning it. I learned a lot from the book, like the specific failures of the FBI to truly notify DNC leadership about the Russian threat or the DNC staff typo that mischaracterized an important phishing email. Or about the true nature and need for a Space Force, and tremendous power (8X the Hiroshima atom bomb) of one nuclear missile inside a US submarine. The author ends the book with a series of recommendations for how the US must be better prepared to win the Shadow War. I don't know enough about military strategy to know if he's right, but given this is our new reality, I'm at least glad I'm a little more informed after reading this book.

This book is a very disturbing account of some of Russia's and China's activities in recent years. The reported activities are quite extensive, ranging from the little green men of the Ukraine, airliners downed by Russian missiles, intellectual property theft, creation of islands in international waters, and election hacking and interference. While this list is extensive and very interesting, what is really frightening is the portrait of the feckless US political infrastructure that the reader gets. One of the analogies used in the book is that of a frog in a pot of warming water. It is disturbing to think of the US as being a witless frog, but this is the inevitable conclusion that the book leads one to. The book is not fatalistic. It ends with a set of recommendations that we should engage in so that we do not continue to get out-played on the world stage.

Closing quote of the book..."My personal motivation in writing this book is far from political. I am writing this solely as a concerned American. I've always thought that living overseas cements, rather than weakens, your patriotism. Yes, you can often better identify your country's weaknesses from abroad. But you can also better recognize its strengths. In its vision, there is no question that America has far more to offer the world than China and Russia. The Shadow War is in large part a battle of those visions. I see this book as alerting my fellow Americans to this war and the threat it presents to what our country holds dear. As the great Eric Sevareid once said of journalists, "All that we try to do is to live at the growing points of society and detect the cutting edges of history."The Shadow War is one, perhaps defining, cutting edge of American history."