Creating Chaos

There’s an ongoing war involving most of the developed world. Its munitions are pixels instead of bullets, hacks instead of bombs—and it encompasses anyone who uses a cell phone or computer.

Surreptitious Russian involvement in elections in the U.S., the Ukraine, and elsewhere and many more such recent scandals are examples of the dark side of statecraft explored in Creating Chaos. The covert use of political warfare has a distinguished lineage, with roots in the “Great Game” between British and Russian empires. It continued to develop through the Cold War era, and has now blossomed into the hybrid political warfare of the 21st Century.

Using the most current information available, Larry Hancock, a “veteran national security journalist” (Publishers Weekly) introduces the nature and history of such practices, examining a number of formerly secret American and Russian hybrid warfare and “active” measures. Ranging across the globe, from Guatemala, Iran, and Indonesia to the U.S. and Russia, Hancock’s book details the exponential increase in covert warfare—and the equally exponential risk and consequences involved.

Praise for Larry Hancock’s previous works:

‘A grim yet trenchant portrait of American imperial reach.’ —Kirkus Reviews, on Shadow Warfare

‘Extensive research is wrapped in politically neutral prose.’ —Booklist, on Shadow Warfare

‘A valuable examination of U.S. national security crises past and present.’ —Kirkus Reviews, on Surprise Attack

‘Clear and detailed [. . .] An important topic for everyone to comprehend, as the threat of a new attack is constant, both from home-grown extremists as well as foreign groups.’ —Library Journal, on Surprise Attack

‘This book provides an eye-opening, well researched new perspective on King’s murder.’ —Publishers Weekly, on Killing King

Reprinted by arrangement with OR Books | For sale in India only.