his new year brings with it a slate of new books that look at the challenges ahead, the past from which we’ve come, and the world in which we live today. From strategic competition with China and Russia’s tumultuous present and uncertain future, to the impact of technology on women and society, the books selected for my book look-ahead reflect these uncertain and dynamic times (levied by an opportunity to highlight my personal favorite sport not-so-guilty escapist pleasure, Formula One).
The Eurasian Century: Hot Wars, Cold Wars, and the Making of the Modern World
Hal Brands
W.W. & Company
Out now
The emergence of strategic competition between the United States and China, Russia’s aggression towards Ukraine and Europe, and the burgeoning connections between Beijing and Moscow have renewed attention on the Eurasian landmass. Hal Brands in “The Eurasian Century” argues that a greater understanding of this geographic span illuminates these contests and others and outlines how conflict could emerge in the future.
Eva Dou
Portfolio
Out now
The Washington Post’s technology reporter, Eva Dou, explores the history of the titular and massive company, “House of Huawei.” One of the only western accounts of Huawei, Dou looks at how the company emerged and how it became a central point of contention between the United States and China. A particularly timely book given the on–again off–again TikTok ban and the expectation of rising technological tensions between Beijing and Washington under the new Trump presidency.
Cathy Scott–Clark
Hurst
February 2025
Shortly after his unexpected swap for Britney Griner, the WNBA player, Viktor Bout ( entirely as expected) returned to his career as an arms trafficker, likely the most notorious in history. Cathy Scott–Clark explores the life, arrest, and emergence of the ‘merchant of death’ in “Russia’s Man of War,” and what Bout’s arc says about post–Soviet Russia and Moscow’s contest with the West.
Shaun Walker
Knopf
April 2025
In “The Illegals,” Shaun Walker, an international correspondent for the Guardian, pulls back the curtain on Russia’s spies operating in the West without official cover, deep penetration officers who lay in wait for years on missions that could last for decades. These ‘illegals’ burrow into society, assimilating with the cultures in which they live, and conduct the most dangerous (and often most mundane) missions.
Ankit Panda
Polity
April 2025
The world is entering a new era of nuclear competition, and the old frameworks of the Cold War no longer apply. What was once a bilateral challenge has emerged into a three–body problem with China’s rapid modernization of its nuclear arsenal, Russia’s increasing bellicosity, and America’s aging infrastructure and intention to bring its arsenal into the modern age. Ankit Panda of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace explores this dynamic and what it means for global security in “The New Nuclear Age.”
The New Age of Sexism: How the AI Revolution is Reinventing Misogyny
Laura Bates
Simon & Schuster Ltd
May 2025
Laura Bates, campaigner and founder of Everyday Sexism, shines a bright light on the dark world of the growth of technologically driven and empowered misogyny and harassment in “The New Age of Sexism.” From cyber brothels to online AI–power sex chat bots, Bates argues that the alarming future has already arrived and is putting women’s rights and safety at risk.
Vali Nasr
Princeton University Press
May 2025
The events of 7 October set in motion what was arguably the most significant geopolitical setback of Iran’s recent history. Hamas’ attack on Israel led to the systematic degradation of the terrorist group and significant operational impacts on Hezbollah. At the same time, U.S. and UK forces responded to Houthi attacks in the Red Sea and opposition forces toppled Bashar al Assad’s regime in Syria. How these groups fit into Tehran’s grand strategy, how nuclear weapons fit in Tehran’s conception of itself, and what that strategy is, are all subjects of Vali Nasr’s aptly titled forthcoming book “Iran’s Grand Strategy.”
How the United States would Fight China
Franz Stefan–Gady
Hurst
June 2025
In “How the United States would Fight China,” Franz–Stefan Gady, an adjunct senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security, warns that Washington’s plan for war with the People’s Republic of China rests on faulty assumptions of speed, dominance, and a decisive victory. Instead of prioritizing mass, attrition, and a lengthy fight, Washington’s concept of war with the PRC remains too enthralled with technology and speed, risking strategic defeat.
Our Dear Friends in Moscow: The Inside Story of a Broken Generation
Irina Borogan & Andrei Soldatov
PublicAffairs
For investigative journalists Irina Borogan and Andrei Soldatov, the 1990s represent a lost generation. A time of hope and optimism, that Russia could turn away from its Soviet past and reach its full potential gave way to economic collapse, civil war in Chechnya, and increasing authoritarianism at home. In “Our Dear Friends in Moscow” they reflect on their generation and their peers, and how some fled while others embraced the new era, but the optimism nonetheless faded away.
Matthew Ford
Hurst
July 2025
Matthew Ford’s co–written book “Radical War” was one of the most thought–provoking and challenging books on 21st century warfare and, as a result, is one of the most meaningful contributions to this timely discussion. His new book “War in the Smartphone Age” builds on some of the ideas in “Radical War” exploring what the smartphone does to the concepts of war and peace, belligerent and civilian, and more.
Rebel Russia: Dissent and Protest from the Tsars to Navalny
Anna Arutunyan
Polity
July 2025
The death of Alexei Navalny in February 2024 ended what was, for many in the West, the last hope of possible reform within Putin’s Russia. Dissidents have a long and tragic role in Russian history from the time of the tsars to the time of Putin. Author and journalist Anna Arutunyan uses the lives of dissidents and rebels to explore the dynamic between the powerful and the powerless in Russian history and what it says about the hopes for the country’s future.
And one for fun:
Calum Nicholas
Little, Brown Book Group
February 2025
Red Bull Racing’s senior engineer, Calum Nicholas, takes readers and race fans inside the paddock and onto the track in his forthcoming book “Life in the Pitlane.” Filled with entertaining stories and first–hand experiences, as well as a look at the changing diversity and inclusion of Formula One, Nicholas’ book should find a welcome home on the shelf of any fan, whether new to the sport thanks to Netflix’s “Drive to Survive” or a longtime fan.
a global affairs media network
Spring’s must-read books on global power, tech, and society
Photo by cottonbro studio via Pexels.
January 25, 2025
Joshua Huminski’s must-read books from early 2025 dissect geopolitics, tech tensions, and societal shifts, from U.S.-China rivalry to AI-driven sexism.
T
his new year brings with it a slate of new books that look at the challenges ahead, the past from which we’ve come, and the world in which we live today. From strategic competition with China and Russia’s tumultuous present and uncertain future, to the impact of technology on women and society, the books selected for my book look-ahead reflect these uncertain and dynamic times (levied by an opportunity to highlight my personal favorite sport not-so-guilty escapist pleasure, Formula One).
The Eurasian Century: Hot Wars, Cold Wars, and the Making of the Modern World
Hal Brands
W.W. & Company
Out now
The emergence of strategic competition between the United States and China, Russia’s aggression towards Ukraine and Europe, and the burgeoning connections between Beijing and Moscow have renewed attention on the Eurasian landmass. Hal Brands in “The Eurasian Century” argues that a greater understanding of this geographic span illuminates these contests and others and outlines how conflict could emerge in the future.
Eva Dou
Portfolio
Out now
The Washington Post’s technology reporter, Eva Dou, explores the history of the titular and massive company, “House of Huawei.” One of the only western accounts of Huawei, Dou looks at how the company emerged and how it became a central point of contention between the United States and China. A particularly timely book given the on–again off–again TikTok ban and the expectation of rising technological tensions between Beijing and Washington under the new Trump presidency.
Cathy Scott–Clark
Hurst
February 2025
Shortly after his unexpected swap for Britney Griner, the WNBA player, Viktor Bout ( entirely as expected) returned to his career as an arms trafficker, likely the most notorious in history. Cathy Scott–Clark explores the life, arrest, and emergence of the ‘merchant of death’ in “Russia’s Man of War,” and what Bout’s arc says about post–Soviet Russia and Moscow’s contest with the West.
Shaun Walker
Knopf
April 2025
In “The Illegals,” Shaun Walker, an international correspondent for the Guardian, pulls back the curtain on Russia’s spies operating in the West without official cover, deep penetration officers who lay in wait for years on missions that could last for decades. These ‘illegals’ burrow into society, assimilating with the cultures in which they live, and conduct the most dangerous (and often most mundane) missions.
Ankit Panda
Polity
April 2025
The world is entering a new era of nuclear competition, and the old frameworks of the Cold War no longer apply. What was once a bilateral challenge has emerged into a three–body problem with China’s rapid modernization of its nuclear arsenal, Russia’s increasing bellicosity, and America’s aging infrastructure and intention to bring its arsenal into the modern age. Ankit Panda of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace explores this dynamic and what it means for global security in “The New Nuclear Age.”
The New Age of Sexism: How the AI Revolution is Reinventing Misogyny
Laura Bates
Simon & Schuster Ltd
May 2025
Laura Bates, campaigner and founder of Everyday Sexism, shines a bright light on the dark world of the growth of technologically driven and empowered misogyny and harassment in “The New Age of Sexism.” From cyber brothels to online AI–power sex chat bots, Bates argues that the alarming future has already arrived and is putting women’s rights and safety at risk.
Vali Nasr
Princeton University Press
May 2025
The events of 7 October set in motion what was arguably the most significant geopolitical setback of Iran’s recent history. Hamas’ attack on Israel led to the systematic degradation of the terrorist group and significant operational impacts on Hezbollah. At the same time, U.S. and UK forces responded to Houthi attacks in the Red Sea and opposition forces toppled Bashar al Assad’s regime in Syria. How these groups fit into Tehran’s grand strategy, how nuclear weapons fit in Tehran’s conception of itself, and what that strategy is, are all subjects of Vali Nasr’s aptly titled forthcoming book “Iran’s Grand Strategy.”
How the United States would Fight China
Franz Stefan–Gady
Hurst
June 2025
In “How the United States would Fight China,” Franz–Stefan Gady, an adjunct senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security, warns that Washington’s plan for war with the People’s Republic of China rests on faulty assumptions of speed, dominance, and a decisive victory. Instead of prioritizing mass, attrition, and a lengthy fight, Washington’s concept of war with the PRC remains too enthralled with technology and speed, risking strategic defeat.
Our Dear Friends in Moscow: The Inside Story of a Broken Generation
Irina Borogan & Andrei Soldatov
PublicAffairs
For investigative journalists Irina Borogan and Andrei Soldatov, the 1990s represent a lost generation. A time of hope and optimism, that Russia could turn away from its Soviet past and reach its full potential gave way to economic collapse, civil war in Chechnya, and increasing authoritarianism at home. In “Our Dear Friends in Moscow” they reflect on their generation and their peers, and how some fled while others embraced the new era, but the optimism nonetheless faded away.
Matthew Ford
Hurst
July 2025
Matthew Ford’s co–written book “Radical War” was one of the most thought–provoking and challenging books on 21st century warfare and, as a result, is one of the most meaningful contributions to this timely discussion. His new book “War in the Smartphone Age” builds on some of the ideas in “Radical War” exploring what the smartphone does to the concepts of war and peace, belligerent and civilian, and more.
Rebel Russia: Dissent and Protest from the Tsars to Navalny
Anna Arutunyan
Polity
July 2025
The death of Alexei Navalny in February 2024 ended what was, for many in the West, the last hope of possible reform within Putin’s Russia. Dissidents have a long and tragic role in Russian history from the time of the tsars to the time of Putin. Author and journalist Anna Arutunyan uses the lives of dissidents and rebels to explore the dynamic between the powerful and the powerless in Russian history and what it says about the hopes for the country’s future.
And one for fun:
Calum Nicholas
Little, Brown Book Group
February 2025
Red Bull Racing’s senior engineer, Calum Nicholas, takes readers and race fans inside the paddock and onto the track in his forthcoming book “Life in the Pitlane.” Filled with entertaining stories and first–hand experiences, as well as a look at the changing diversity and inclusion of Formula One, Nicholas’ book should find a welcome home on the shelf of any fan, whether new to the sport thanks to Netflix’s “Drive to Survive” or a longtime fan.
