Book Review: THE SHADOW WAR by Jim Sciutto

THE SHADOW WAR: INSIDE RUSSIA’S  AND CHINA’S SECRET OPERATIONS TO DEFEAT AMERICA  by Jim Sciutto  (Harper Publishing, May 2019)  Hardcover, 320 pages.  ISBN # 0062853643 / 9780062853646  

 

Summary from the Goodreads website . . . . .

 

 CNN’s Chief National Security Correspondent reveals the invisible fronts of twenty-first century warfare and identifies the ongoing battles being waged—often without the public’s full knowledge—from disinformation campaigns to advanced satellite weaponry.

 

The United States is currently under attack from multiple adversaries—yet most Americans have no idea of the dangers threatening us. In this eye-opening book, military and intelligence expert and seasoned reporter Jim Sciutto traces the expanding web of attacks that together amount to an undeclared but deeply dangerous war on America.

 

With in-depth reporting from Ukraine to the South China Sea, Cuba to the earth’s atmosphere, unprecedented access to America’s Space Command, and new information from inside the intelligence agencies tracking election interference, Sciutto draws on his deep knowledge, high-level contacts, and personal experience as a journalist and diplomat to paint the most comprehensive and vivid picture of a nation targeted by a new and disturbing brand of warfare.

 

America is engaged in a Shadow War on multiple fronts, with multiple enemies. The practitioners include America’s most familiar adversaries: Russia, China, North Korea, and Iran. But unlike conventional warfare, these conflicts are conducted in the shadows, with no formal declaration and often use multiple sources, from influential businessmen and lawyers to hackers. And it is happening today.

 

But America is adapting and fighting back. In The Shadow War, Sciutto introduces the dizzying array of soldiers, sailors, submariners and their commanders, space engineers, computer scientists, and civilians who are on the front lines of this new kind of forever war. Intensive and disturbing, this invaluable and important work opens our eyes and makes clear that future war is here.  

 

My review on the Goodreads website . . . . . .

 

     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.