New Cold Wars

China's Rise, Russia's Invasion, and America's Struggle to Defend the West

By: David E. Sanger, Mary K. Brooks

Narrated by: Robertson Dean, David E. Sanger

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The fast-paced inside story of America’s plunge into a volatile rivalry with the other two great nuclear powers—Xi Jinping’s China and Vladimir Putin’s Russia—from the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and bestselling author of The Perfect Weapon

“[A] cogent, revealing account of how a generation of American officials have grappled with dangerous developments in the post-Cold War era . . . vividly captures Washington.”—The New York Times (Editors’ Choice)

New Cold Wars—the latest from the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and bestselling author of The Perfect Weapon David E. Sanger—is a fast-paced account of America’s plunge into simultaneous confrontations with two very different adversaries. For years, the United States was confident that the newly democratic Russia and increasingly wealthy China could be lured into a Western-led order that promised prosperity and relative peace—so long as they agreed to Washington’s terms. By the time America emerged from the age of terrorism, it was clear that this had been a fantasy.

Now the three powers are engaged in a high-stakes struggle for military, economic, political, and technological supremacy, with nations around the world pressured to take sides. Yet all three are discovering that they are maneuvering for influence in a far more turbulent world than they imagined.

Based on a remarkable array of interviews with top officials from five presidential administrations, U.S. intelligence agencies, foreign governments, and tech companies, Sanger unfolds a riveting narrative spun around the era’s critical questions: Will the mistakes Putin made in his invasion of Ukraine prove his undoing and will he reach for his nuclear arsenal—or will the West’s famously short attention span signal Kyiv’s doom? Will Xi invade Taiwan? Will both men deepen their partnership to undercut America’s dominance? And can a politically dysfunctional America still lead the world?

Taking listeners from the battlefields of Ukraine—where trench warfare and cyberwarfare are interwoven—to the Taiwan headquarters where the world’s most advanced computer chips are produced and on to tense debates in the White House Situation Room, New Cold Wars is a remarkable first-draft history chronicling America’s return to superpower conflict, the choices that lie ahead, and what is at stake for the United States and the world.

©2024 David E. Sanger (P)2024 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“[A] cogent, revealing account of how a generation of American officials have grappled with dangerous developments in the post-Cold War era—the rise of an enduringly authoritarian China, the return of state-on-state conflict in Europe—that have produced a geopolitical mash-up of old and new . . . compelling . . . vividly captures Washington.”—The New York Times

“This is a highly entertaining book to read, despite its immense cautionary themes. Sanger gets both the broad theory and the human details right and along the way provides a powerful book of geopolitics appearing at a hinge moment in global history.”—The Cipher Brief

“We have just been hurtled into a new and far more dangerous world, and David E. Sanger has been present at its creation. Sanger’s brilliant book is a masterpiece of reporting, revelations, and analysis. It takes us into hidden rooms and lets us eavesdrop on secret conversations that address up-to-the-minute struggles over Russia, China, Ukraine, the Middle East, and other flashpoints, as well as crucial technological innovations. Sanger’s mesmerizing inside story of a world transformed will inspire and disturb, but as the author makes abundantly clear, no one who lives on this planet can ignore what is happening.”—Michael Beschloss, New York Times bestselling author of Presidents of War

A must listen

One of the best books I have come across in years providing both indepth reporting on the post-cold war period as well as the context upon which the superpowers are evolving.
If you are curious about what's going on out there in terms of international politics, this is one book that is a must read.

Sanger Does Not Disappoint

I listened to David Sanger's previous book, The Perfect Weapon. I was so engrossed by his engaging writing style and incite, that I could not wait until his most recent book (New Cold Wars) was available. It does not disappoint!! He uses so many reputable sources in piecing together this book, that a person really cannot ignore the inescapable conclusion that America is (as the title states) "in a new Cold War."
This is an incredible book, and Robertson Dean is a great narrator with excellent diction, clear pronunciation and that masterful talent of just the right emotion at the right place/time. I now will be looking for every newspaper article written by Sanger, as he is currently reporting for the NY Times.

very informative.

I felt like there was a little bias and maybe some propaganda mixed into this book. overall I felt like this was very informative.

Provided new understanding of what is gong on in this complicated world

The detail and depth of analysis on so many conflicts and mysteries that I did not u

Great look into the inner workings

I loved the deep dives into what we only get news bites of. I just wish everyone would read. There are lots of books I wishe more people would read. A more informed populous would lead to a greater country.

Highly informative. Brilliantly narrated.

A comprehensive overview of the period of history I grew up in yet lacked the maturity and the sense to study it in detail. David Sanger's ability to lucidly describe, explain, and offer first hand accounts brings this history to life and imparts the urgency with which we need to pay attention and remain educated.

Thorough

Sanger provided ample examples and sources to illustrate how Russia, China, and the US are intermingled, how we got here, the priorities of each entity, their strengths, and their weaknesses. I’d highly recommend to anyone wishing to further their knowledge of the above.

Sobering

An honest, frank examination of our collective failures in continuing the progress made by millions of free loving humans worldwide in the decades since the fall of fascism, the Berlin Wall, and the USSR.

Looking at all the players in our lives.

Nothing to dislike it tell a very compelling story. Explains what our and everyone government does and why we cannot let inexperienced officials run the government. We need to thank the officials who did what presidents wouldn’t or didn’t understand how to get things done.
I had thought a business person would be a good idea in the presidency, in our form of government, that is not a good idea. Business people don’t get their own way. They have to work with others. This is something they’re not good at.

How a cold war may become a hot war

History as it is unfolding and all the players involved is very enlighting. You may think your paying attention to current events but it's the behind the scenes knowledge that this book gives you.