The Kaoboys of R&AW: Down Memory Lane

During the Cold War, views from the “other side” proved endlessly fascinat- ing to students of international affairs. Books such as The Russians, by Hedrick Smith, and the multiple memoirs of Viktor Suvorov provided insights into thought processes and value systems. Most national-security professionals to- day cannot afford the luxury of focus- ing on one nation or topic. And as a nation, the United States cannot afford to ignore India

The Tao of Spycraft: Intelligence Theory and Practice in Traditional China

Ralph Sawyer continues his work on Chinese political and military writings with The Tao of Spycraft. The title, how- ever, may be somewhat misleading. Rather than compartmentalizing intelli- gence separate from other endeavors, Sawyer demonstrates how intelligence is an integral aspect of war, diplomacy, and politics. A sampling of current war college arti- cles shows a strong interest in “integrat- ing all elements of national power,” for which the Defense Department uses the acronym DIME (diplomatic, informa- tional, military, and economic)

The Tao of Deception

Ralph D. Sawyer, noted scholar of Chi- nese strategic thought, has produced an enlightening study of the beginnings and the evolution of deception in Chinese political and military history. Contrary to some contemporary commentators, China has a long martial tradition. Warrior leaders and military heroes permeate both historic and contempo- rary Chinese literature, as well as mod- ern movies. Deception has long been an integral part of Chinese warfare. Draw- ing on the classic works of Chinese mil- itary thought, Sawyer demonstrates that deceptive practices and unorthodox ap- proaches are the norm rather than the exception

The Survival Imperative: Using Space to Protect the Earth

Nowadays we take for granted that space assets are necessary for military operations, but the nonmilitary use of space has also passed into the realm of the necessary. While the use of space as- sets, and thus access to space, is of vital importance to the nation, there is no watershed work that unites the politi- cal, economic, industrial, and military aspects into a single vision. Space pol- icy, in other words, is still waiting for its Mahan

At the Center of the Storm: My Years at the CIA

George Tenet’s tenure as Director of Central Intelligence (DCI) was marked throughout by controversy, so it is no surprise that his memoirs face more of the same. Partisans will never be satis- fied; policy and national security insid- ers, regardless of their depth on the inside, will find areas with which to dis- agree; historians will decry the lack of citations; and individuals who helped to create some of that history will be glad for that lack