by Tim Weiner
First published 2025
The Central Intelligence Agency stood at a crossroads as the new millennium began. Cold War victories had left the organization without clear purpose. Stations closed worldwide. Technology lagged behind the digital revolution. Then September 11th changed everything. The CIA abandoned traditional espionage for paramilitary operations, secret prisons, and drone warfare. This radical shift came at enormous cost. Foreign agents died. Chinese operatives stole personnel files. Russian hackers breached computer systems. Wars in Afghanistan and Iraq exposed the agency's weaknesses. Now a new generation of intelligence officers faces the ultimate test. They must penetrate Moscow, Beijing, and Tehran while navigating attacks from their own president. Weiner reveals how the CIA fought to restore its core espionage capabilities and finally succeeded in infiltrating the Kremlin. The agency's survival depends on reclaiming its fundamental mission of knowing America's enemies.
Genres: history, political-science, non-fiction, 21st-century, military-history, espionage
Vibes: emotional, fast-paced, thought-provoking
Tropes: government-corruption, institutional-change
Setting: Afghanistan, Beijing, Iraq, Kremlin, Moscow, Tehran
Period: Cold War, New Millennium
464 pages · Hardcover · Mariner Books