Geopolitics Books

Book SynopsisAs David Vine demonstrates, the overseas bases raise geopolitical tensions and provoke widespread antipathy towards the United States. They also undermine American democratic ideals, pushing the U.S. into partnerships with dictators and perpetuating a system of second-class citizenship in territories like Guam. They breed sexual violence, destroy the environment, and damage local economies. And their financial cost is staggering: though the Pentagon underplays the numbers, Vine's accounting proves that the bill approaches $100 billion per year. For many decades, the need for overseas bases has been a quasi-religious dictum of U.S. foreign policy. But in recent years, a bipartisan coalition has finally started to question this conventional wisdom. With the U.S. withdrawing from Afghanistan and ending thirteen years of war, there is no better time to re-examine the tenets of our military strategy. Base Nation is an essential contribution to that debate.

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Book SynopsisGlobal Punk examines the global phenomenon of DIY (do-it-yourself) punk, arguing that it provides a powerful tool for political resistance and personal self-empowerment. Drawing examples from across the evolution of punk – from the streets of 1976 London to the alleys of contemporary Jakarta – Global Punk is both historically rich and global in scope. Looking beyond the music to explore DIY punk as a lived experience, Global Punk examines the ways in which punk contributes to the process of disalienation and political engagement. The book critically examines the impact that DIY punk has had on both individuals and communities, and offers chapter-length investigations of two important aspects of DIY punk culture: independent record labels and self-published zines. Grounded in scholarly theories, but written in a highly accessible style, Global Punk shows why DIY punk remains a vital cultural form for hundreds of thousands of people across the globe today.Trade ReviewGlobal Punk is filled with people I know, contemporary punk bands I like (or at least have heard of), and theoretic models I respect. It feels intimate. I believe that anyone actively involved in DIY punk rock will experience this intimacy…it will be the book I buy for friends, and revisit for years to come. Highly recommended. -- Matthew Hart * Razorcake *During my time reading Global Punk, I was surprised at how uplifted and empowered I felt. I’d guess that Dunn wasn’t thinking he was writing a self-help book, but reading stories of how punk has given agency to people—and continues to do so—of all sorts of backgrounds throughout the world gave this reader some hope in the midst of an all too depressing world. -- Kurt Morris * Razorcake *Kevin Dunn has produced a very good and much-needed book ... [I]t offers an enjoyable and interesting read which researchers can build upon in the future. * Popular Music *I’ve been waiting a long time for a book that tackled punk in all its complexity both on a global and local level and finally, Kevin Dunn has done it. In Global Punk, Dunn doesn’t come across as a dispassionate observer, but an active participant in a very real and living resistant subculture, one that still resonates across the world. By reminding us how vital punk still is on a day to day basis, Dunn has created a book that truly inspires and reminds us why punk still matters and why we should never give up the hope of positive change. * Brian Cogan, Associate Professor, Department of Communications, Molloy College, USA, and author of The Encyclopedia of Punk (2010) *So, you think you know something about punk? Well, maybe you do, but Kevin Dunn has forgotten more about punk than you and I will ever know. Global Punk is a book about this punk planet, alright, and it succeeds because of Dunn's intercontinental range. He takes us to punk scenes past and present, from basements to beaches, all around the globe, where punks have drawn from their DIY toolkit to build and sustain communities fueled by music and dedicated to resistance and empowerment. He captures punk's political potency with nuance and passion, and makes it accessible. The result is something of a punk public service announcement—so pay attention! * Michael Stewart Foley, Professor, Department of American Studies, The University of Groningen, Netherlands, and author of Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables (2015) *More than music, deeper than fashion, broader than mere subculture, DIY punk is a way of being; it offers resources for positing alternative spaces and resistant modes of inhabiting the world. This delightfully accessible book melds punk history and global scene reports with an introduction to fundamental ideas about the self, the social, and what politics can mean and be. * Sara R. Marcus, English and Interdisciplinary Humanities, Princeton University, USA *Dunn’s brilliant, demanding, delightful text draws you in, pulls and pushes you in new and different ways of thinking, makes you want to do something/anything. This is smart, accessible, committed, passionate work—this informative, interesting, challenging book has a heart every bit as powerful as its head. Per Patti Smith, Dunn proceeds with abandon, to the benefit of us all. This work joins a small and select group of texts, academic and not, which are upending longstanding conventions. It should be read and will resonate wide, deep, and far in Cultural Studies, Music History, Anthropology, Sociology, International Studies, Urban Studies, Feminist Studies, Queer Studies, Comparative Literature, and more, not least everyday folks who care and are committed to music and the way(s) in which it shapes our lives. Dunn dazzlingly locates, explicates, and explores borders, personhood, collectivities, space(s), and place(s). The shift is away from (but conscious of) the “big, large, huge” social science project to one where the cultural is the political and we engage the “small worlds” which are our world(s) (and hence matter most for most of us most of the time) and encounter webs in which in which life and movements are ineluctably produced in and through ever dynamic relations. This heady concoction and concatenation brings to mind Tsing’s metaphorical “zones of awkward engagement” a space/place/time elsewhere and elsewhen where things may begin to “happen,” where we manufacture “meaning,” and (im)possibilities abound. And does it all in a way which is legible for mere mortals. Global Punk changed how I understand and exist in the world(s). * Eric Selbin, Professor, Department of Political Science, Southwestern University, USA *Table of ContentsAcknowledgments Prologue Punk Won: A Conversation with Ian MacKaye 1. Punk Matters: DIY punk and the politics of resistance 2. You’re Not Punk and I’m Telling Everyone: Oppositional identities and disalienation 3. Fuck Your Scene, Kid: The power of local scenes 4. Punk Goes the World: Global networks, counter-hegemony and the contradictions of globalization 5. If It Ain’t Cheap, It Ain’t Punk: Punk record labels and DIY as a (anti-)business model 6. Satan Wears a Bra while Sniffin’ Glue and eating Razorcake: Punk zines and the politics of DIY self-publishing 7. Total Resistance to the Fucking System: Anarcho-punk and resistance in everyday life Postscript Punk Rock Won’t Change the World, It Already Has Notes References Index

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Book SynopsisWidely considered to be among the most important historical collections of all time, The Federalist Papers were intended to persuade New York at-large to accept the newly drafted Constitution in 1787. Authored in parts by Hamilton, Madison, and Jay, the documents have been referred to and heavily cited countless times in all aspects of American government and politics. Their influence is undeniable, as they remain prevalent in our political climate today. This collection remains a vital benchmark in American political philosophy. Signed by the members of the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia on September 17, 1787, the US Constitution is a landmark legal document that comprises the primary law of the federal government and outlines its three chief branches. The Federalist Papers were a rebuttal to the general public of New York’s initial dissuaded response to the idea of the US Constitution. This collection includes both the full text of The Federalist Papers as well as the entire text of the Constitution, so that readers may compare both documents and reference one another at their leisure. In addition to these documents, the book contains a foreword by constitutional scholar Dr. Louis Fisher. With its rich history, The Federalist Papers and the Constitution of the United States will educate you on the groundwork that shaped the greatest country in the world.

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Book SynopsisNeglect has become a defining feature of society in the North of Ireland. Manifest in the North''s economy, its politics, housing, and healthcare, the root cause of all this malfunction in the North is clear: British rule. Britain''s argument for retaining its colonial hold over Ireland has always been the idea that the Irish are not fit to govern themselves, and through neglect that guarantees permanent austerity they aim to prove this. However, although the partition of Ireland was designed to guarantee British rule in the North, Republicans are now firmly enfranchised within the Northern state such that this domination has become more difficult and - unable to navigate this fact - their opponents have simply refused to engage in the very institutions designed to administrate the union. But it is only by unifying with the South and destroying the idea of an exclusively Northern society can the people of the North escape this deep-seated decay and create a society that is truly its own.

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Book SynopsisNumbers dominate global politics and, as a result, our everyday lives. Credit ratings steer financial markets and can make or break the future of entire nations. GDP drives our economies. Stock market indices flood our media and national debates. Statistical calculations define how we deal with climate change, poverty and sustainability. But what is behind these numbers? In How Numbers Rule the World, Lorenzo Fioramonti reveals the hidden agendas underpinning the use of statistics and those who control them. Most worryingly, he shows how numbers have been used as a means to reinforce the grip of markets on our social and political life, curtailing public participation and rational debate. An innovative and timely exposé of the politics, power and contestation of numbers.Trade ReviewLorenzo Fioramonti has written an urgent and highly accessible book, showing just how over-reliant our governance systems are on misleading numbers, which support market power and blur our understanding of the world. And it is also a better and more compelling read than exactly 95.4% of all other important books! * David Boyle, author of The Tyranny of Numbers *This book is a thoughtful political economic analysis of how our fates have come to be determined by a few numbers, and how these numbers have been shaped by a few people. If we want a vibrant and responsive politics, we’ll need to know where it has been enclosed by the world's powerful accountants. Fioramonti’s book provides an excellent map. * Raj Patel, author of The Value of Nothing: How to Reshape Market Society and Redefine Democracy *Timely and original, scholarly without ostentation, often scathing, Lorenzo Fioramonti's field guide to the prejudices, assumptions, financial interests and ideology that lurk behind the most innocent-seeming numbers equips us to challenge their spurious authority. Faith in numbers has helped to wreck the financial system, masked fraud and criminal activity, allowed the world's richest people to meddle in the "development" of societies they know nothing about and could lead us to damage our earthly habitat beyond recall. If you want to learn what numbers reveal and conceal; what can and, above all, can't be measured, don't trust the "experts" - read How Numbers Rule the World and become an expert yourself. * Susan George, author of Whose Crisis, Whose Future? and President of the Board, Transnational Institute *Table of ContentsIntroduction: The politics of statistics 1. The power of numbers 2. New global rulers: the untameable power of credit rating 3. Fiddling while the planet burns: the marketization of climate change 4. Measuring the unmeasurable: the financialization of nature 5. Numbers for good? The quest for aid effectiveness and social impact Conclusion: Rethinking numbers, rethinking governance

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Book SynopsisIn 2011, South Sudan became independent following a long war of liberation, that gradually became marked by looting, raids and massacres pitting ethnic communities against each other. In this remarkably comprehensive work, Edward Thomas provides a multi-layered examination of what is happening in the country today. Writing from the perspective of South Sudan's most mutinous hinterland, Jonglei state, the book explains how this area was at the heart of South Sudan's struggle. Drawing on hundreds of interviews and a broad range of sources, this book gives a sharply focused, fresh account of South Sudan's long, unfinished fight for liberation.Trade ReviewThis is the most lucid, insightful account of South Sudan's predicament in print. Privileging South Sudanese voices, and threading together social and economic history and political and military analysis with personal testimony, demography and anthropology, it is essential reading for those wishing to understand the current civil war. It is also beautifully written. * Alex de Waal, executive director of the World Peace Foundation and author of Darfur: A New History of a Long War *A must read for all interested in South Sudan, the world's newest state. Thomas's well-written book expertly documents how statehood came about, its fragility and the lessons from history for South Sudan's future. * Alex Vines, OBE, head of the Africa programme at Chatham House and co-director of the African Studies Centre, Coventry University *Thomas's insightful review of South Sudanese history, ecology and its multiple societies explodes many of the myths that underlie present explanations for the conflicts in South Sudan. Instead of looking to primordialism or narrowly based cultural explanations, Thomas situates Jonglei's violence-prone history within the context of uneven development, global incorporation and the failure of the ruling SPLM to overcome the resulting contradictions. * John Young, author of The Fate of Sudan *The book thoroughly examines the predicament of South Sudan, focusing on Jonglei state, where the worst kinds of violence along ethnic lines have occurred. It interrogates the explanations, particularly uneven development, that many authors have used in their works. The work is a must read for anyone interested in a comprehensive treatment of the events that led to the birth of the new country. * Leben Nelson Moro, director of external relations at the University of Juba *This is an illuminating account of the contradictions of the theory and practice of liberation in an African periphery. Thomas teaches us how South Sudan's slow and relentless integration into the global market confounds its liberation unravelling chronically in the bloody conflict theatre of Jonglei. From the local contingencies of South Sudan's war zones the book draws universal lessons on the devastations of the nation-state. * Magdi El Gizouli, Freiburg University *This book is a rare achievement as it unfolds the present through the voices of those who live with the consequences of what has happened in the past. Thomas gives us a much-needed fresh understanding of South Sudan that, while uniquely modern, historicizes and moves beyond stereotypes and received wisdom. * Mareike Schomerus, London School of Economics and Political Science *South Sudan: A Slow Liberation succinctly examines the challenges that continue to face South Sudanese struggling for freedom while at the same time stubbornly refusing to break loose of the archaic social relations and customs that militate against modernity - the essence of liberation - and the emergence of the modern state in South Sudan. * Peter Adwok Nyaba, former minister of higher education for South Sudan *Table of ContentsIntroduction: Gabriel Anyang Remembers His Childhood Part I: Society and State 1. The Social Landscape 2. South Sudan's Encounter with Modernity 3. Development and Representation 4. Theories of Revolution 5. State and Society in Jonglei after the Comprehensive Peace Agreement Part II: Jonglei's Mutinies 6. The Life and Death of Hassan Ngachingol 7. The Civil Wars in Jonglei 8. The Geography of Conflict in Jonglei after the Comprehensive Peace Agreement Part III: Social Transformation 9. Raiding and Eating 10. Nyaburjok Conclusion: Slow Liberation Bibliography

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Book SynopsisWinner of the International Studies Association's Harold and Margaret Sprout Award 2008 for the best book on international environmental problems. This pioneering study examines the impacts of neoliberal global governance on forests and provides an exhaustive overview of international forest politics: Intergovernmental Panel on Forests World Commission on Forests and Sustainable Development Intergovernmental Forum on Forests United Nations Forum on Forests Forest Certification New policies to address illegal logging World Bank's forests strategy Convention on Biological Diversity - and other international forest-related processes The book is an essential reference for students of global environmental politics and required reading for forest policy makers. It concludes by arguing for a democratization of global governance and a fundamental restructuring of the regulatory environment so that final decision making authority is restored to the local level. Driven by concern at what forest loss means for communities and future generations, this is a book that stands to make a difference.Trade Review'The most thorough analysis so far on international forest processes. The arguments and information put forward will be of high interest for both policy makers and future researchers' Birger Solberg, Professor of Forest Economics, Norwegian University of Life Sciences and first Director, European Forest Institute (1993 - 1996) 'Provides a broad, historical perspective on international forest politics and policies. David Humphreys is one of the few people who has an overview of all the international processes concerning forests...I found the book full of thought provoking comment and innovative perspectives' Jeffrey Sayer, Senior Associate, WWF International and Founding Director General CIFOR (1993 - 2001) 'An excellent well-researched volume that is Herculean in its breadth and depth. A timely, comprehensive and knowledgeable analysis that carefully details the obstacles facing efforts to develop meaningful global forest governance' Benjamin Cashore, School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, Yale University. 'This incisive, wide-ranging analysis explains the failure of international efforts to conserve the world's forests. Through detailed scruitny of the very grey literature about forests, and interviews with some of the key actors, David Humphreys exposes the political and economic interests blocking forestry reform. Anyone involved in global policy making about forests ignores this book at their peril' Marcus Colchester, Director, Forest Peoples Programme 'Once again David Humphreys helps us to understand what lies beneath the surface in the world of international forest politics. The insights in this book will fascinate both newcomers to this field and those negotiators and stakeholders who have spent many years in the trenches. All can learn from this study' Carole Saint-Laurent, Senior Forest Policy Advisor, IUCN - The World Conservation Union. 'A well-presented volume' BC Forest ProfessionalTable of ContentsForests as Public Goods * Intergovernmental Panel on Forests * World Commission on Forests and Sustainable Development * Intergovernmental Forum on Forests * United Nations Forum on Forests * The Certification Wars * New Policies to Counter Illegal Logging * The World Bank's Forests Strategy * The International Forests Regime * The Crisis of Global Governance * Index

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Book SynopsisFormally incorporated into the British Empire in 1908 and again in 1917, the Anterctic Peninsula and wind-blown island chains of the South Atlantic became part of a pink-tinted empire. Some in Britain hoped that the entire Antarctic continent would be annexed. Those hopes were never to be realized yet successive British governments have been determined to maintain, and even fight for Britain's territorial possessions in this faraway region of the world. "Pink Ice" tells the story of the political struggles over Antarctica and the South Atlantic. It shows how Great Britain and Argentina have sought to invest these thinly populated spaces, composed mostly of ice, rock and water, with cultural and national importance. This is a phenomenon by no means exclusive to the South Atlantic. Providing the wider political and historical background to the 1982 Falklands conflict, the author demonstrates how political rivalries have on different occasions been played out in other competitive arenas such as World Cup football, reactions to outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease and trade disputes wherever they have occurred. The author has interviewed leading politicians and civil servants including Lords Carrington, Owen, Chalfont, Hurd and Shackleton, former Falkland Islands Governors Sir Cosmo Haskard and Sir Rex Hunt, and the Antarctic explorers Sir Edmund Hillary and Sir Vivian Fuchs. At a time when Britain has reaffirmed its commitment to maintaining its territorial presence in the region, "Pink Ice" provides a timely analysis of how territorial disputes simply refuse to fade away despite the claims made in favour of globalization.Trade Review"Dr Dodds has marshalled a wealth of research and details on a vibrant and poorly served area of the world... a detailed, well-researched and welcome addition to the literature." -International Journal of Tourism Research "I found Dodds' approach refreshing and vivid. His research has been excellent and his sources well documented. This is a first-class and absorbing account and a choice of reading for all those interested in the politics of the polar regions." -David J.Drewry (University of Hull)

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Book SynopsisWe are now living in a world where Brexit and Trump are daily realities. But how did this come about? And what does it mean for the future? Populism and ultra-nationalism brought about the rise of Hitler and Mussolini in the 1930s. Now, as Trump sits in the White House, Britain negotiates its way out of the EU, and countries across Europe see substantial gains in support for the extreme Right, award-winning journalist, author, and historian Gwynne Dyer asks how we got here, and where we go next. Dyer examines the global challenges facing us all today and explains how they have contributed to a world of inequality, poverty, and joblessness — conditions which he argues inevitably lead to the rise of populism. The greatest threat to social and political stability, he argues, lies in the rise of automation, which will continue to eliminate jobs, whether politicians admit that it is happening or not. To avoid a social and political catastrophe, we will have to find ways of putting real money into the pockets of those who have no work. But this is not a book without hope. Our capacity for overcoming the worst has been tested again and again throughout history, and we have always survived. To do so now, Dyer argues, we must embrace radical solutions to the real difficulties facing individuals, or find ourselves back in the 1930s with no way out.Trade Review‘Dyer writes with a racy style and provokes as much as he informs.’ * The Independent *‘Dyer writes with easy fluency, with gentle, teasing wit.’ * The Irish Times *‘Thoughtful and thought-provoking.’ * Weekend Herald, Auckland *

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Book SynopsisA timely, provocative exposé of America’s political and business leadership’s deep ties to China: a network of people who believe they are doing the right thing — at a profound and often hidden cost to American and Western interests. The past few years have seen a shift in the relations between China and the United States, from enthusiastic economic partners, to wary frenemies, to open rivals. Americans have been slow to wake up to the challenges posed by the Chinese Communist Party. Why did this happen? And what can be done about it? In America Second, Isaac Stone Fish traces the evolution of the Chinese Communist Party’s influence in America. He shows how America’s leaders initially welcomed China’s entry into the US economy, believing that trade and engagement would lead to a more democratic China. And he explains how — despite the fact that this belief has proved misguided — many of the country’s businesspeople and politicians have become too dependent on China to challenge it. America Second exposes a deep web of Chinese influence in America, built quietly over the years through prominent figures such as former secretaries of state Henry Kissinger and Madeleine Albright, Disney chairman Bob Iger, and members of the Bush political dynasty. And it shows how to fight that influence — without being paranoid, xenophobic, or racist. This is an authoritative and important story, not only of corruption but of misplaced intentions, with serious implications for the future of the United States, as well as for the world at large.Trade Review‘Isaac Stone Fish’s candour and self-reflection drives his cautionary tale about the perils of self-censorship, rationalisation, and accommodation. He has built a powerful case against sacrificing the truth in pursuit of success in China.’ -- Evan Osnos, author of Age of Ambition‘This fascinating book concludes that the best lobbyists for the Chinese Communist Party in the US have not been its propagandists, or even PR agents hired to do its bidding, but self-justifying American businessmen drawn to China by the promise of its vast markets. What’s most troubling is that, given the thoroughness of Stone Fish’s research, it’s not easy to argue with his conclusion.’ -- Orville Schell, director of the Center on US-China Relations at the Asia Society‘Fish’s book … raises the very important topic of why we continue to trust many of America’s grandest foreign policy figures (people like Henry Kissinger and Madeleine Albright) on China, when they and many others have been paid rich salaries by the Party (or companies associated with it) for consulting work in their private lives. It’s a thorny and important question, tackled in a non-xenophobic way by a veteran foreign correspondent in China.’ -- Rana Foroohar * Financial Times *‘Here is what the movers, shakers, and China “experts” (and Henry Kissinger) would rather you not know about their backs and forths with the Communist Party of China over the past fifty years. America second? Quite. And what is first? Principle, truth, and empathy or hypocrisy, manoeuvre, and greed? No book shows the answer more clearly.’ -- Perry Link, Professor Emeritus of East Asian Studies, Princeton University‘The lures of money and access have turned US political and business leaders into covert supporters of Chinese interests, according to this stinging exposé … Written in tart prose that pulls no punches, Fish’s persuasive investigation reveals a morass of corruption and sycophancy that has worrisome geopolitical implications. Readers will be alarmed.’ * Publishers Weekly *‘Stone Fish delivers a scorching denunciation of US leaders who serve Chinese interests … Whether in academia or business, China has exerted so much influence, Stone Fish concludes, that American elites exercise strict self-censorship when it comes to criticising China — a dictator’s dream, if an exercise in self-serving cowardice. An eye-opening look at the behind-the-scenes sway China holds over so much of the US economy.’ * Kirkus Reviews *‘Fish … lays out a damning narrative of how American corporations, sports leagues, universities, media, politicians, and diplomats, among others — citing names and incidents — have kowtowed to the Communist Party to protect their own interests while vainly, perhaps cynically, expressing the hope that, in the process, China might somehow democratise … Fish ends with a strong pushback against the demonisation of Chinese Americans, and of mainland Chinese; his beef here is always with the Communist Party.’ * Booklist *‘Fish here digs deeply into the ties between China and US political and business leadership. His argument: these leaders applauded when China expanded into the global market, seeing it as a democratising force within that country, then became so entrenched in that belief — and in the connections they have built in China — that they have not stood up to China on key political, social, and human rights issues. That may now be changing.’ -- Barbara Hoffert * Library Journal *‘A tale of corruption, cultural misunderstanding, and ultimately, a warning unfolds in this comprehensive exposé.’ * Happy Mag *

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Book SynopsisThe incredible story of a breathtaking rescue in the frenzied final hours of the US evacuation of Afghanistan — and how a brave Afghan mother and a compassionate American officer engineered a daring escape. When the US began its withdrawal from Afghanistan, and the Afghan army instantly collapsed, Homeira Qaderi was marked for death at the hands of the Taliban. A celebrated author, academic, and champion for women’s liberation, Homeira had achieved celebrity in her home country by winning custody of her son in a contentious divorce, a rarity in Afghanistan’s patriarchal society. Despite her fierce determination to stay in her homeland, it finally became clear to Homeira that escaping was the only way she and her family would survive. However, like so many, she was mired in the chaos that ensued at Kabul Airport, struggling to get on a plane with her eight-year-old son, Siawash, along with her parents and the rest of their family. Meanwhile, a young US foreign service officer, Sam Aronson, who had volunteered to help rescue the more than 100,000 Americans and their Afghan helpers stranded in Kabul, learned that the CIA had established a secret entrance into Kabul Airport two miles away from the desperate crowds crushing toward the gates. He started bringing families directly through, and on the very last day of the evacuation, Sam was contacted by Homeira’s literary agent, who persuaded him to help Homeira get out. The story that follows is unbelievable but true. Zuckoff’s firsthand accounts come exclusively and directly from Homeira, Aronson, and Homeira’s literary agent. The Secret Gate is beyond riveting, and will keep readers on the edge of their seats. Trade Review‘In Mitchell Zuckoff’s capable hands, here is an unforgettable account of a daring attempt to temper the brutality of war. It’s all here: the impossible moral choices; the desperation and the ingenuity; the courage to step in and help when it’s most needed; the anguish of those who must uproot themselves and take the struggle for freedom to another shore. The Secret Gate is inspiring on every level.’ -- Robert Kolker, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Hidden Valley Road‘Mitchell Zuckoff’s The Secret Gate is the harrowing and emotional true-life story of survival during the Afghanistan evacuation. The fast-paced drama centres around the American diplomat Sam Aronson and the Afghan women’s rights activist Homeira Qaderi. This riveting book has major motion picture written all over it. A must read!’ -- Douglas Brinkley, New York Times bestselling author of Silent Spring Revolution and American Moonshot‘Mitchell Zuckoff has located a genuinely thrilling tale, told with style, grace, and empathy. The Secret Gate will get your blood pumping.’ -- Hampton Sides, New York Times bestselling author of Ghost Soldiers and On Desperate Ground‘An American diplomat intervenes to help a women’s rights activist and her son flee Kabul before it falls to the Taliban in this taut account from journalist Zuckoff … Drawing on extensive interviews with Aronson and Qaderi, Zuckoff reveals the human side of geopolitics. Readers won’t be able to put this down.’ * Publishers Weekly *‘A suspenseful chronicle of a dramatic rescue at the end of America’s evacuation of Afghanistan in 2021 … An uplifting account of genuine heroics in the latest American military debacle.’ * Kirkus Reviews *‘Reads like a thriller … Zuckoff does a remarkable job not only of describing the chaos and confusion at Kabul airport, but also of framing the fraught choices faced by Afghans and Americans alike. The Secret Gate describes, in compelling detail, the excruciating decisions faced by members of the diplomatic corps and military as they decided who to evacuate and who to leave behind; however, the book doesn’t fall into the trap of allowing the American narrative to subsume the Afghan one. [It] is a fast-paced escape narrative, but it is also a morally complex interrogation of Homeira’s wrenching choice.’ * The Washington Post *Praise for Fall and Rise: the story of 9/11: ‘With his rigorous research and moral clarity, Mitchell Zuckoff has provided us with an invaluable service. He has deepened our understanding of what happened on 9/11 and recorded the voices of the victims and the survivors. What's more, he has ensured that we never forget.’ -- David Grann, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Killers of the Flower MoonPraise for Fall and Rise: the story of 9/11: ‘The 9/11 book we’ve been waiting for. A terrific storyteller and gifted researcher, Mitchell Zuckoff has rendered that world-changing day on a scale both intimate and monumental. This is narrative history at its very best.’ -- Cokie Roberts, New York Times bestselling author and Emmy Award-winning journalistPraise for Fall and Rise: the story of 9/11: ‘Inspiring, depressing, heartbreaking, and simply astonishing … Zuckoff delivers a master-class in long-form historical journalism.’ * The Sydney Morning Herald *Praise for 13 Hours: the inside account of what really happened in Benghazi: ‘A crisply written, gripping narrative of the events of the battle in Benghazi that adds considerable detail to the public record of what happened there … [an] authoritative account.’ * The Wall Street Journal *Praise for 13 Hours: the inside account of what really happened in Benghazi: ‘A great number of journalists and government instrumentalities have tilted at Benghazi … All of those efforts look fragmentary when placed side-by-side with 13 Hours.’ * The Washington Post *

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