First published 2018
Michael Isikoff exposes how Vladimir Putin's government orchestrated a sophisticated cyber assault on American democracy during the 2016 presidential election. The investigation reveals how Moscow deployed elite hackers and online trolls to penetrate U.S. political systems while exploiting WikiLeaks as a distribution channel for stolen information. Isikoff documents the intricate web connecting Donald Trump's business pursuits in Russia with key figures like Paul Manafort and Michael Flynn, who maintained puzzling ties to Russian interests. The book traces Putin's strategic decision to reassert Russian global influence through digital warfare, transforming cyber espionage into a weapon against American electoral integrity. Unlike the Watergate burglary, this operation employed cutting-edge technology and international coordination to achieve unprecedented foreign interference. Isikoff weaves together multiple narrative threads of political manipulation, technological infiltration, and geopolitical rivalry to answer a critical question that haunted millions of Americans after Trump's victory. The account reveals not just the mechanics of the Russian operation but the broader implications for democratic institutions when foreign powers successfully penetrate domestic political processes.
Genres: history, political-science, non-fiction, 21st-century, current-affairs, american-history
Vibes: suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: geopolitical-rivalry
Setting: America, Russia
Period: 2016
352 pages · Hardcover · Twelve