Underground Empire

How America Weaponized the World Economy

By: Henry Farrell, Abraham Newman

Narrated by: L. J. Ganser

A deeply researched investigation that reveals how the United States is like a spider at the heart of an international web of surveillance and control, which it weaves in the form of globe-spanning networks such as fiber optic cables and obscure payment systems

America’s security state first started to weaponize these channels after 9/11, when they seemed like necessities to combat terrorism—but now they’re a matter of course. Multinational companies like AT&T and Citicorp build hubs, which they use to make money, but which the government can also deploy as choke points. Today’s headlines about trade wars, sanctions, and technology disputes are merely tremors hinting at far greater seismic shifts beneath the surface.

Slowly but surely, Washington has turned the most vital pathways of the world economy into tools of domination over foreign businesses and countries, whether they are rivals or allies, allowing the U.S. to maintain global supremacy. In the process, we have sleepwalked into a new struggle for empire. Using true stories, field-defining findings, and original reporting, Henry Farrell and Abraham Newman show how the most ordinary aspects of the post-Cold War economy have become realms of subterfuge and coercion, and what we must do to ensure that this new arms race doesn’t spiral out of control.

A Macmillan Audio production from Henry Holt & Company.

©2023 Henry Farrell, Abraham Newman (P)2023 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

“Farrell and Newman’s book is like an MRI or CT scan of recent world history, giving us a new and startling image of the global body politic, as clear as an X-ray. Cognitive mapping takes on a new aspect with their analysis, as they shift from the technological to the historical, showing both how this new nervous system of world power came to be, and how it could be put to better use than it is now. Given the intertwined complexities of our very dangerous polycrisis, we need their insights.”—Kim Stanley Robinson, author of The Ministry for the Future

“Underground Empire is an astonishing explanation of how power really works. From fiber optic cables to the financial system, Farrell and Newman show how the networks that knit us together are also powerful coercive tools, providing a subtle and revelatory account of how the United States learned to weaponize its dominance of the world order’s plumbing. A riveting read, essential for understanding how economic and technological power is wielded today.”—Chris Miller, author of Chip War

“An eye-opening journey into the hidden networks that power the high-tech world, where all roads lead not to Silicon Valley but to suburban Washington DC, bankers and spies matter as much as tech entrepreneurs, and an industry built by the Cold War has become a geopolitical battleground once again. A truly important book to explain—and move beyond—our tumultuous times.”—Margaret O’Mara, author of The Code

Fantastic, Relevant, and Important.

You won't regret reading/listening to this. A very thorough and illuminating look at the machine, moves, motivations and forces that act on our daily lives and also drive national and international actions.

Geopolitical context

Required reading for those that live/work in a global capacity or just like following along. Right/Wrong, the systems in place are this way now and provide motivations the world over— “If you want to understand today you have to search yesterday.”
Pearl S. Buck

An insightful peak into the forces that shape our world

Given the power, wealth, and influence of major technology companies, it’s unsurprising to learn that the systems they build shape our global order. Yet most books focus on the pieces that are visible to the public, such as the social media companies. “Underground Empire” invites you to look below the surface and appreciate things like the role of global finance-tech networks in war and the fights between the US and China over chips. This book allows the reader to go beyond the headlines and appreciate technology and geopolitical entanglements that are often ignored. What makes this book shine is how accessible the writing is. It’s like getting a master class in contemporary geopolitics - you will feel more informed and enjoy the journey.

Great points and facts!!

You can see the consequences of making wrong unwise decisions and what results you will get.