The Weaponisation of Everything: A Field Guide to the New Way of War
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- Create Date：2022-12-31 06:51:51
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- Author：Mark Galeotti
- ISBN：0300270410
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Summary
An engaging guide to the various ways in which war is now waged—and how to adapt to this new reality
“This brisk everyman’s guide—straight-talking and free of jargon—is a useful tasting menu to a fast moving， constantly evolving set of problems。 。 。 。 A lively reminder that war adapts to technology， that civilians are part of modern conflict whether they like it or not。”—Roger Boyes， The Times
“Galeotti’s field guide is an admirably clear overview （in his words， ‘quick and opinionated’） of a form of conflict which is vague and hard to grasp。 Variously described as hybrid， sub-threshold or grey-zone warfare， this is the no man’s land between peaceful relations and formal combat。”—Helen Warrell， Financial Times
Hybrid War， Grey Zone Warfare， Unrestricted War: today， traditional conflict—fought with guns， bombs， and drones—has become too expensive to wage， too unpopular at home， and too difficult to manage。 In an age when America threatens Europe with sanctions， and when China spends billions buying influence abroad， the world is heading for a new era of permanent low-level conflict， often unnoticed， undeclared， and unending。
As conflict once again returns to Europe， transnational crime expert Mark Galeotti provides a comprehensive and ground-breaking survey of the new way of war。 Ranging across the globe， Galeotti shows how today’s conflicts are fought with everything from disinformation and espionage to crime and subversion， leading to instability within countries and a legitimacy crisis across the globe。 But rather than suggest that we hope for a return to a bygone era of “stable” warfare， Galeotti details ways of surviving， adapting， and taking advantage of the opportunities presented by this new reality。
“This brisk everyman’s guide—straight-talking and free of jargon—is a useful tasting menu to a fast moving， constantly evolving set of problems。 。 。 。 A lively reminder that war adapts to technology， that civilians are part of modern conflict whether they like it or not。”—Roger Boyes， The Times
“Galeotti’s field guide is an admirably clear overview （in his words， ‘quick and opinionated’） of a form of conflict which is vague and hard to grasp。 Variously described as hybrid， sub-threshold or grey-zone warfare， this is the no man’s land between peaceful relations and formal combat。”—Helen Warrell， Financial Times
Hybrid War， Grey Zone Warfare， Unrestricted War: today， traditional conflict—fought with guns， bombs， and drones—has become too expensive to wage， too unpopular at home， and too difficult to manage。 In an age when America threatens Europe with sanctions， and when China spends billions buying influence abroad， the world is heading for a new era of permanent low-level conflict， often unnoticed， undeclared， and unending。
As conflict once again returns to Europe， transnational crime expert Mark Galeotti provides a comprehensive and ground-breaking survey of the new way of war。 Ranging across the globe， Galeotti shows how today’s conflicts are fought with everything from disinformation and espionage to crime and subversion， leading to instability within countries and a legitimacy crisis across the globe。 But rather than suggest that we hope for a return to a bygone era of “stable” warfare， Galeotti details ways of surviving， adapting， and taking advantage of the opportunities presented by this new reality。
Reviews
John Tipper
，
An insightful and well-documented study on the current state of warfare in the world。 Galeotti has a snappy style of writing。 He brings together a lot of facts and quotes to establish his theme that nations use various forms of weaponization。 The traditional guns， bombs and ships are no longer so prevalent。 Note: this book was written prior to Russia's invasion of the Ukraine。 But he's right， agents of influence， disinformation and misinformation are some of the keys of war these days。 Social me An insightful and well-documented study on the current state of warfare in the world。 Galeotti has a snappy style of writing。 He brings together a lot of facts and quotes to establish his theme that nations use various forms of weaponization。 The traditional guns， bombs and ships are no longer so prevalent。 Note: this book was written prior to Russia's invasion of the Ukraine。 But he's right， agents of influence， disinformation and misinformation are some of the keys of war these days。 Social media， hacking and surveillance are often employed。 Cloak and dagger snooping， so prevalent in the Cold War between the West and the Soviet Union， has fallen by the wayside。 According to Galeotti， the Russians tend to sow discord in the West by fake news designed to weaken democracies。 They championed Donald Trump over Hilary Clinton， but in reality didn't care for President Trump once elected。 At various times， they back the right and the left。 Recommended for readers of history， current events and fans of the art of war。 。。。more
Adrián Cruz
，
I have the impression that Mark Galeotti either wanted to publish another book to vent his thoughts， or he needed to somehow cover his bills。 The information in the book was good， but not well-founded， at times I felt like I was reading an essay or a media article。 Highly chaotic， jumping from statement to statement， and missing sources。 I do not want to doubt Galeotti's broad knowledge， but a better structure would enhance the reading experience by a million。 I have the impression that Mark Galeotti either wanted to publish another book to vent his thoughts， or he needed to somehow cover his bills。 The information in the book was good， but not well-founded， at times I felt like I was reading an essay or a media article。 Highly chaotic， jumping from statement to statement， and missing sources。 I do not want to doubt Galeotti's broad knowledge， but a better structure would enhance the reading experience by a million。 。。。more
knygugriauzike_gabriele
，
Laikai keičiasi， drauge su jais keičiasi viskas， įskaitant ir kariavimo metodus。 Hibridinis karas， pilkosios zonos， informacinės erdvės， užtikrinančios karą be ribų， net neperžengiant teritorinių sienų。 Pernelyg brangias bombas， šautuvus ir dronus keičia socialiniai tinklai， kibernetika， propaganda， įvairios melagienos。 Regis， šiais laikais kompiuterio pelė yra galingesnė už gerai pagaląstą kardą。 O pats pasaulis yra įžengęs į naują， nematomų， nedidelių ir nesibaigiančių konfliktų epochą。Nereiki Laikai keičiasi， drauge su jais keičiasi viskas， įskaitant ir kariavimo metodus。 Hibridinis karas， pilkosios zonos， informacinės erdvės， užtikrinančios karą be ribų， net neperžengiant teritorinių sienų。 Pernelyg brangias bombas， šautuvus ir dronus keičia socialiniai tinklai， kibernetika， propaganda， įvairios melagienos。 Regis， šiais laikais kompiuterio pelė yra galingesnė už gerai pagaląstą kardą。 O pats pasaulis yra įžengęs į naują， nematomų， nedidelių ir nesibaigiančių konfliktų epochą。Nereikia būti istorijos žinovu ar akylu žmogumi， kruopščiai analizuojančiu svarbius įvykius - karus， vykusius prieš šimtą， du ar net penkis šimtus metų， kad pastebėtumėte esminius skirtumus tarp konfliktų anuomet ir dabar。 Pagrindiniai ginklai tada buvo rankomis apčiuopiami， pradedant kardais ir šautuvais， baigiant automatais ir bombomis。 XXI amžiuje， kai kasdienybė neįsivaizduojama be technikos išradimų， palengvinančių tiek susisiekimą， tiek buitį， tiek išplečiančių bendravimo galimybes ir užtikrinančių greitesnį informacijos pasiekiamumą， dauguma ginklų tapo matomi tik akimis， o su jais kariaujama be rankų - vos vieno mygtuko paspaudimu。 Žvelgdami į dabartinį pasaulinį kontekstą ir visa， kas jame vyksta， tai matome priešakyje， o sąvokos „hibridinis karas“， „pilkoji zona“， „melagienos“， „propaganda“， „kibernetinė ataka“ - mums puikiai žinomos ir pastaruoju laikotarpiu lydi bene kiekvieną dieną。Kada pasaulyje prasidėjo ištiso kibernetinio karo epocha？ Kiek laiko ji jau tęsiasi ir kas visų mūsų laukia ateityje？ Klausimai， į kuriuos nėra ir nebus konkretaus ar teisingo atsakymo。 Vieni teigs， kad nieko panašaus apskritai nevyksta， kiti sakys， kad skirtingos melagienos， bent jau Lietuvoje， itin intensyviai ėmė plisti COVID-19 pandemijos metais， o propagandos apimtys reikšmingai padidėjo nuo šių metų vasario 24-osios。 Deja， tai nėra tikroji tiesa。 „Viskas tampa ginklu。 Karas XXI amžiuje“ atskleidžia， kad skirtingomis formomis， kurias ne visada pajaučiame， karas vyksta kasdien jau daugelį metų。 Kasdien， tik kai kurių dalykų paprasti žmonės nežino， kadangi tai yra nutylima， o į viešumą transliuojamos tik tos žinios， kurias būtina žinoti， arba tos， kurių plitimas （kartais ir neteisėtas， melagingas） kažkam naudingas。M。 Gaelotti knygoje dėmesį telkia į karus， kurie vyko per pastaruosius keliasdešimt metų， tai daro analizuodamas， išskirdamas įvairias jų detales。 Kaip žinia， itin svarbų vaidmenį juose vaidino JAV， Didžioji Britanija ir Rusija。 Aišku， neapsieita ir be 2014 metais įvykusios Krymo okupacijos。 Kūrinys skaitytojus grąžina ir į tolimą praeitį， taip lygindamas ją su dabartimi， o vietomis net nukelia į ateitį， kuri， bent jau kol kas， tik autoriaus vaizduotės vaisius， tačiau， pagal paskutines tendencijas， nebūtų pernelyg netikėta， jei tai vieną dieną taptų realybe。 Dėmesys skiriamas ir žmonių vaidmeniui įvairaus pobūdžio karuose， ir sankcijoms （jų naudai/poveikiui/žalai/svarbai）， ir politikos etiudams， ir erdvėms， patogiausioms vykdyti kibernetinį karą， ir priežastims， kodėl vis dažniau renkamasi tokį būdą， kokia jo nauda， ir šnipinėjimui， ir santykiams tarp valstybių， kurios iš pažiūros turėtų būti sąjungininkės （tačiau， ar tikrai taip yra？）。 Kitaip tariant， tam， kas nūdienoje svarbu ir aktualu。Mark Gaelotti yra įdomus rašytojas。 Konkretus， tikslus ir rašantis retesnėmis， bet temomis， kurios visuomenei aktualios。 Dar tik dvi jo knygas skaičiau （pirmoji buvo „Trumpa Rusijos istorija。 Nuo pagonybės iki Putino“， antroji - ši， o rašytojas parašęs žymiai daugiau）， bet jau jaučiu， kad kiekviena man yra ir bus savotiškas atradimas: tiek turinio， tiek rašymo， tiek temų， kurios domina， prasme。 Turinys， nors knyga ir nėra didelės apimties， perteikia tai， kas svarbiausia， ir idealiai tinka skaitytojams， kurie nemėgsta perteklinių detalių ir mėgaujasi konkretumu， faktais。 Kas liečia rašymą， džiugina tai， kad M。 Gaelotti geba rašyti ir， rodos， iš pažiūros sudėtingą informaciją pateikti， susisteminti taip， kad ją suprasti lengvai galėtų kiekvienas skaitytojas， net tas， kuriam politika ar tokio stiliaus knygos ne prie širdies。 Na， o plėtojamos temos yra tos， kurių prieš keletą ar kelioliką metų nebūtume sureikšminę， veikiau - numoję ranka。 Dabar， matydami drastiškus pokyčius pasaulyje， jų nebegalime ignoruoti。„Viskas tampa ginklu。 Karas XXI amžiuje“ - sutrumpinta， tik esmines XXI amžiaus konfliktų， karų bei tarptautinių santykių ir politikos aktualijas aptarianti knyga。 Tai - knyga apie ne visada matomą karą， vykstantį kasdien， apie tą， kurio dalyviais be išimties esame mes visi， kuriame dalyvaujame virtualiai， pavyzdžiui， skaitydami， dalindamiesi tam tikra informacija。 Kūrinys padės geriau suprasti， koks slidus reikalas yra propaganda， kaip lengvai ji plinta ir kokią ji įtaką daro karo， vykstančio realiame fronte， eigai。 Kaip teigia autorius， būtent šis kariavimo metodas yra toks pats svarbus， kaip ir tas， kuris vyksta ant žemės。Rekomenduoju visiems， besidomintiems ir ieškantiems daugiau informacijos apie „kitokį“ karą， tokį， kurio mūsų protėviai negalėjo nė įsivaizduoti。 Karą， kuris dar kartą paliudija， kad gyvename naujoje epochoje， su šviežiomis taisyklėmis ir netikėtais spąstais。 Siūlau tiems， kurie domisi politika ar istorija， nes būtent iš temų， susijusių tiek su vienu， tiek su kitu dalyku ir sudaryta ši knyga。 Rekomenduoju negrožinės literatūros， kupinos realiais faktais， naudinga informacija， mylėtojams， kuriems šiomis dienomis nėra nieko įdomiau už domėjimąsi tarptautinėmis aktualijomis， kuriems norisi praplėsti savo akiratį ir atrasti atsakymų į kai kuriuos klausimus。 „Viskas tampa ginklu。 Karas XXI amžiuje“ patiks visiems， kuriems rimtoji literatūra yra lyg skaniausias desertas prie karštos kavos！4/5⭐ 。。。more
Dennis Murphy
，
The Weaponization of Everything: A Field Guide to the New Way of War by Mark Galeotti is a brisk， illuminating， and sometimes witty survey into a broad selection of non-military domains of competition between countries and non-state actors。 IE， how everything is becoming a weapon in an undeclared state of war。 It is a very useful starter guide， and Galeotti is aware of its purpose as such。 At the conclusion of every chapter is a selection of books to read to further explore the concept that the The Weaponization of Everything: A Field Guide to the New Way of War by Mark Galeotti is a brisk， illuminating， and sometimes witty survey into a broad selection of non-military domains of competition between countries and non-state actors。 IE， how everything is becoming a weapon in an undeclared state of war。 It is a very useful starter guide， and Galeotti is aware of its purpose as such。 At the conclusion of every chapter is a selection of books to read to further explore the concept that the chapter covers。 If you're planning on better understanding the future of warfare and competition outside of the realm of bullets， drones， and cyber， then you could do worse for yourself than to simply procure every book mentioned by Galeotti and give them a quick read through。 None of what he mentions is a lightweight or at all obscure for the subject he's covering。 Its good and its short。 Read it。 。。。more
Mariam Farooq
，
A solid and interesting read， with examples that absolutely fit in with the arguments being made。The most interesting idea， for me personally， would be drawing parallels between Florence’s and modern day’s espionage and war。Although， using certain countries to present supportive examples and completely ignoring certain others who do the same in their own ways of “weaponising everything” shows the favoured and biased or one can say “pro-western” approach to the topic。
Adam Fereday
，
This book is a solid primer on the Liberal approach to international security issues in the 21st Century， tidily written and short enough to be read in a day。 Galeotti's main argument is threefold: 1） In contemporary IR， a combination of factors （he singles out growing expense and international law） have made interstate warfare all but unforeseeable; 2） At the same time， the proliferation of international networks of trade， cultural exchange， and finance in the post-Cold War World have created o This book is a solid primer on the Liberal approach to international security issues in the 21st Century， tidily written and short enough to be read in a day。 Galeotti's main argument is threefold: 1） In contemporary IR， a combination of factors （he singles out growing expense and international law） have made interstate warfare all but unforeseeable; 2） At the same time， the proliferation of international networks of trade， cultural exchange， and finance in the post-Cold War World have created opportunities for states to undermine each other without needing to go to war; 3） The result of these factors is that we live in a world which， while more peaceful world than that of our ancestors， is characterised by fear and mutual suspicion between states。 Structurally， the book is arranged in such a way that a non-expert can find the most important content easily。 The chapters are grouped thematically which makes it easy to maintain a clear sense of where one is at within the wider argument。 I really like how each chapter closes with a list of suggested further reading。The content itself is a mixed bag。 On one hand， Galeotti brings some interesting examples to bear on his analysis: I was unaware， for example， that Uganda's primary export is no longer coffee， but mercenaries and armed guards。 The chapter on transnational crime networks is where the book really shines—unsurprising given the author's previous work on the subject。 The chapters on business and corruption are also very strong。 However， I'm not persuaded by the argument as a whole。 Naturally， it is unfortunate that the book's publication coincides with Russia's intensification of its invasion of Ukraine in 02/2022—war may be expensive， but clearly not expensive enough to deter a state hellbent on conquest per se。 There is also a somewhat off-putting inconsistency running throughout the book between presenting modern developments in IR as a radical new departure， and identifying precedents from historical case studies （which themselves work very well！）—the author would have been better placed to just ditch the argument for radical novelty entirely in my view as it doesn't add very much。Above all， I'm really puzzled that the book doesn't mention nuclear weapons as a restraint on military action between Great Powers （alongside trade， law， etc。）。 Obviously there is only so much that can be covered in a primer。 However， when so many invasions of non-nuclear states have happened in the 21st Century （Afghanistan， Iraq， Georgia， Libya， Syria， Ukraine， Armenia， etc。） it seems like an important area to consider before asserting the end of traditional forms of conflict°。 In actuality， what Galeotti covers in much of the rest of the book only applies to states who possess nuclear weapons （or have been guaranteed protection by a country with a nuclear capability）; the sharp end of the wary peace he describes is felt by those states who are not。Overall， this is a good book。 While I have issues with its overall argument， it still comes in handy as a means of understanding key issues in contemporary international security。 °And if it is the 'nuclear peace' which is the primary cause for Great Powers to seek non-military ways of beating the competition， then is 21st Century IR so radically different from that of the century before？ 。。。more
Gregg
，
This book suffered from terrible timing。 The book came out just prior to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine。 The author should capitalize on his concepts and conclusions with another book or at least an analysis of the non-kinetic elements of power brought to bear on Russia and the relative and combined effectiveness of each。
Harald Groven
，
A clausewitzian walk-through of means of fighting a 21th Century conflict， with the notable exception of traditional inter-state conventional （or nuclear） war。 If you follow news coverage of international conflicts closely， "The Weaponisation of Everything" won't offer you many surprises。 Its broad scope makes it somewhat encyclopedic。 A clausewitzian walk-through of means of fighting a 21th Century conflict， with the notable exception of traditional inter-state conventional （or nuclear） war。 If you follow news coverage of international conflicts closely， "The Weaponisation of Everything" won't offer you many surprises。 Its broad scope makes it somewhat encyclopedic。 。。。more
Adam
，
Instead of just whinging that the world has gone to hell in a hand basket， the modern sophisticated reader of modern geopolitics should instead look to texts that help them understand the historical precedents of warfare， the changing strategies of conflict， and the social， political and economic impacts that current trends may unveil in the future。 This book is an excellent primer to examining how "warfare" is presently being redefined。 Some topics include: the professional soldier （i。e。， merce Instead of just whinging that the world has gone to hell in a hand basket， the modern sophisticated reader of modern geopolitics should instead look to texts that help them understand the historical precedents of warfare， the changing strategies of conflict， and the social， political and economic impacts that current trends may unveil in the future。 This book is an excellent primer to examining how "warfare" is presently being redefined。 Some topics include: the professional soldier （i。e。， mercenary）， the role of organised crime as a "weapon"， "lawfare"， and the murky realms of dis）information/misinformation within the interconnected world。 Overall， the book highlights several important points to consider in examining one's view of modern warfare。4 stars。 An important strength of this book is the incorporation of further readings at the end of each chapter。 Galeotti knowingly writes this work as an accessible introduction to several topics within the changing modern warfare， and allows his reader the option of wading into deeper waters。 。。。more
Grant
，
A well-constructed run-through of， well， everything that doesn't overstay its welcome。 The overall thrust of the book is to try to bring the reader up-to-date on the expansive new definition of 'conflict' and to suggest a few means of improvement。 Every themed chapter could be a book in itself–and Galeotti continues to helpfully provide reading lists–but they feel substantive enough to convey his points。As usual， his chipper British demeanour makes the audiobook a very pleasant read。 A well-constructed run-through of， well， everything that doesn't overstay its welcome。 The overall thrust of the book is to try to bring the reader up-to-date on the expansive new definition of 'conflict' and to suggest a few means of improvement。 Every themed chapter could be a book in itself–and Galeotti continues to helpfully provide reading lists–but they feel substantive enough to convey his points。As usual， his chipper British demeanour makes the audiobook a very pleasant read。 。。。more
Yicheng Liu
，
This review is of an ARC provided by Netgalley and Yale University Press in exchange for an honest review。 My rating for this book is 4/5。I am personally interested in reading more about the overall political conflagration that would lead to the onset of war， and also with regards to how dynamic and fluid nature modern types of warfare。 In particular the analysis of economic and political methods through which to wage war as well as the analysis of more 'traditional' type of warfare of territor This review is of an ARC provided by Netgalley and Yale University Press in exchange for an honest review。 My rating for this book is 4/5。I am personally interested in reading more about the overall political conflagration that would lead to the onset of war， and also with regards to how dynamic and fluid nature modern types of warfare。 In particular the analysis of economic and political methods through which to wage war as well as the analysis of more 'traditional' type of warfare of territorial conquest is a thoroughly interesting and engaging read in light of recent events particularly in regards to the Russian invasion of Ukraine。 “The Weaponisation of Everything” by is at times incredibly prescient and also a thoroughly fascinating work of in-depth analysis presented terms non-academics and those less engaged in the subject of geopolitics could understand。 It is overall fascinating in how it develops and builds the case for Galeotti's insights on the topic。I wish to see more books like this， and I would overall heartily recommend this book。 。。。more
Elena Creangă
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Stumbled upon this book in the context of the current geopolitical unrest happening in the world。 I found the examples provided to be fascinating， helping me understand the intricacies of imposing sanctions can backlash towards the imposer。 Although I consider myself to have a certain media-consumption hygiene， it made me question whether confirmation bias affects me nonetheless and how difficult it might be to distinguish the nuances on an otherwise true fact。 Even though I knew about some merc Stumbled upon this book in the context of the current geopolitical unrest happening in the world。 I found the examples provided to be fascinating， helping me understand the intricacies of imposing sanctions can backlash towards the imposer。 Although I consider myself to have a certain media-consumption hygiene， it made me question whether confirmation bias affects me nonetheless and how difficult it might be to distinguish the nuances on an otherwise true fact。 Even though I knew about some mercenary armies “for hire” the author depicted their rise and evolution in a way I haven’t thought about previously。 。。。more
Jan
，
Confused， chaotic。 Leaves a sense of the author being overwhelmed by all the stuff he wants to tell and being unable to corral it into to a coherent framework/ narrative。
Michael Hassel Shearer
，
The Weaponization of Everything， A Field Guide to a New Way of War by Mark GaleottiMr。 Galeotti’s book is both timely and perhaps not as it has come out while the war in Ukraine is going on。 I say timely， as this war does highlight the use of non-kinetic warfare to aid in the success。 A primary example of this “Weaponization of Everything” is the use of sanctions and banking restrictions on Russia。 As Mr。 Galeotti says， “One could argue it is irrelevant whether one dies on the battlefield or in The Weaponization of Everything， A Field Guide to a New Way of War by Mark GaleottiMr。 Galeotti’s book is both timely and perhaps not as it has come out while the war in Ukraine is going on。 I say timely， as this war does highlight the use of non-kinetic warfare to aid in the success。 A primary example of this “Weaponization of Everything” is the use of sanctions and banking restrictions on Russia。 As Mr。 Galeotti says， “One could argue it is irrelevant whether one dies on the battlefield or in a refugee camp， whether one loses one’s job to economic warfare or a bombing raid。” Indeed， we do hope these efforts to restrict the flow of money for resources forces an end of Russian aggression。Additionally， it does seem the NATO Allies and President Zelensky are winning the information battle vs。 Mr。 Putin。 This is unlike the war in 2018 where Mr。 Putin was able to shape the war as one to save Russians in the Dombast region from persecution。 In this case， Putin’s claim that Ukraine is not a country is not being accepted by all but at this time the isolated Russian population。 An interesting topic raised by Mr。 Galeotti is the increasing use of mercenary troops to do the fighting by merely paying money。 Unlike the past， these mercenaries are part of corporations or countries。 Examples of countries are: Uganda that makes more money from renting out their soldiers than their revenue from coffee。 The US is not saint in this endeavor。 The war with Iraq we along with the UK and France were paid 84B$ by Saudi Arabia and Kuwait。 Is the US Blackwater Group any different than the Wagner Group run out of Russia。 No matter how you look at this， people lose their lives， families are destroyed and future dreams of people are gone。 I am not sure I have a solution but I did find this book an excellent read to get me to think。 。。。more
Phil
，
Another ARC from Netgalley， and a book I found interesting to start but sadly gravitated away from。 Recent events piqued my interest again and I finally finished it off， with a wealth of understanding for the use of information， distrust， soldiers-plus and various tactics that are starkly present in today's environment。 A chilling read Another ARC from Netgalley， and a book I found interesting to start but sadly gravitated away from。 Recent events piqued my interest again and I finally finished it off， with a wealth of understanding for the use of information， distrust， soldiers-plus and various tactics that are starkly present in today's environment。 A chilling read 。。。more
Tom
，
Very strange feeling to finish this the day before Russia launched an all out war on Ukraine。 Galeotti is probably the most interesting and trustworthy commentator on Russia that I read/listen to （In Moscow's Shadow podcast is fantastic）。 The best part of his analysis is that he is not afraid to not make fantastical claims with extreme overconfidence。 While he certainly likes his fancy titles and coined phrases （*cough cough* gerasimov doctrine） he equally likes to make fun of himself for them。 Very strange feeling to finish this the day before Russia launched an all out war on Ukraine。 Galeotti is probably the most interesting and trustworthy commentator on Russia that I read/listen to （In Moscow's Shadow podcast is fantastic）。 The best part of his analysis is that he is not afraid to not make fantastical claims with extreme overconfidence。 While he certainly likes his fancy titles and coined phrases （*cough cough* gerasimov doctrine） he equally likes to make fun of himself for them。 I listened to this on audible， and appreciated his （he performed the audiobook himself） sardonic dry humor was appreciated just as much as the clear-eyed analysis。 。。。more
Farida
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2500 years ago， Sun Tzu in the Art of War states ‘all warfare is based on deception’。As events unfold following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine ‘The Weaponization of Everything’ is indeed a timely book。 The first chapter opens with a paragraph describing Putin’s intents on returning Crimea to Russia and later describes how in the midst of a disinformation campaign， the citizen investigative journalism outfit， Bellingcat managed to piece together evidence about the tragic flight MH17。‘The Weaponisat 2500 years ago， Sun Tzu in the Art of War states ‘all warfare is based on deception’。As events unfold following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine ‘The Weaponization of Everything’ is indeed a timely book。 The first chapter opens with a paragraph describing Putin’s intents on returning Crimea to Russia and later describes how in the midst of a disinformation campaign， the citizen investigative journalism outfit， Bellingcat managed to piece together evidence about the tragic flight MH17。‘The Weaponisation of Everything’ book is a field guide about war – a useful companion to understand global events - and how statecraft and warfare have changed over the centuries。 Through reading the book the reader gains a historical perspective as well as deep insight into the modern world。 We learn that warfare has become so sophisticated -it’s all around us and we don’t even know it。Combining storytelling with hard facts， Galeotti provides numerous examples of economic warfare， culture wars and disinformation （information wars）。 We are told deception is not a recent phenomenon and he is right。 This is a well-researched book written in a way that anyone with an interest in history， current affairs and geopolitics can read and understand。 I particularly valued the additional reading， references to other published works on the subject matter。 Excellent 。。。more
Doc Martin
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As tensions rise on the Ukraine/ Russian border I have been reading Mark Galeotti’s guide to the new way of war。 Chilling account of how war has been redefined into a hybrid model。 Hybrid wars are no longer purely won on the battlefield as conflicts move to means of subversion， sanctions， memes， lawfare， disinformation， and sponsored murder of individual civilians。 Where everything can be weaponised， business is now in the front line of economic guerrilla warfare battling cyberattacks， political As tensions rise on the Ukraine/ Russian border I have been reading Mark Galeotti’s guide to the new way of war。 Chilling account of how war has been redefined into a hybrid model。 Hybrid wars are no longer purely won on the battlefield as conflicts move to means of subversion， sanctions， memes， lawfare， disinformation， and sponsored murder of individual civilians。 Where everything can be weaponised， business is now in the front line of economic guerrilla warfare battling cyberattacks， political lobbying， social media manipulation and sanctions impacting our business models。Time to understand and learn about this permanent state of global hybrid warfare。 “We are heading into an age when everyone may be in at least some kind of a state of ‘war' with everyone else， all the time， and it is just a matter of degree。 Of course， we will still have allies and enemies， but these terms will mean different things at different times， in different contexts。 Our very vocabulary is outdated: war， enemy， victory， all these concepts need to be re-thought。 Welcome to a potential world of permanent， sublimated conflict， of the political struggle of all against all。” 。。。more
Hannah
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3。5 starsIf you're up for an enjoyable， fast-paced read that offers a glimpse into the world of modern warfare， then this is the book for you。 Galeotti illustrates the beginning of every chapter with an example drawn from history， movie， current politics， 。。。 The sections are short， yet dense， and provide many catchy examples without going into too much detail。 However， I wish that the different topics had not felt so hurried， and that they had been more analytical rather than descriptive。 3。5 starsIf you're up for an enjoyable， fast-paced read that offers a glimpse into the world of modern warfare， then this is the book for you。 Galeotti illustrates the beginning of every chapter with an example drawn from history， movie， current politics， 。。。 The sections are short， yet dense， and provide many catchy examples without going into too much detail。 However， I wish that the different topics had not felt so hurried， and that they had been more analytical rather than descriptive。 。。。more
Les Vogel
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Succinct & informativeA good introduction。 By the 6th chapter I found myself more interested in the references to other books than the book itself。 YMMV
Alexander
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Living up to it's self-proclaimed status as a 'field guide' very well， this is a nicely tractable and on-the-pulse review of the evolving status of modern conflict。The reader with extremely limited exposure to the world of [combined|unrestricted|surrogate|。。。]-warfare will still be able to get full enjoyment from this book due to its very neat organization。The prominence of the Further Reading segments at the end of each chapter （"Want to know more？"）， and the way that the author goes further th Living up to it's self-proclaimed status as a 'field guide' very well， this is a nicely tractable and on-the-pulse review of the evolving status of modern conflict。The reader with extremely limited exposure to the world of [combined|unrestricted|surrogate|。。。]-warfare will still be able to get full enjoyment from this book due to its very neat organization。The prominence of the Further Reading segments at the end of each chapter （"Want to know more？"）， and the way that the author goes further than merely listing interesting titles （recommending， ranking， and otherwise commenting on each entry） are a welcome feature。Perhaps a more fitting title would have been "。。。 A Field Guide to the Evolving Way of War"， as the author makes the point that this "Weaponisation of Everything" is hardly a phenomena unique to the present day。 Rather， it is simply manifesting itself in significantly more ways and is a more dominant feature of modern conflict。 The book is self-aware in this sense and in others however， suggesting that the title is poking fun at itself somewhat。The author's credentials as an expert on Russian Security Affairs are neatly showcased， but not so far as to give the impression that more salient examples were neglected in favor of their comfort zone。The full five stars were withheld only because it felt as though the author had more to say on the future approaches they believe are the key to embracing this evolution of conflict。 A neat summary was provided， but more concrete details would have been welcome， although come with the obvious risk of ageing poorly。 。。。more
Kid Ferrous
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