Will I love Underground Empire?

In this meticulously researched book, Farrell and Newman explore how the U.S. has reshaped the global economic system, using financial networks, supply chains, and digital infrastructure as instruments of geopolitical influence.

The book does a good job at highlighting the ways in which global systems are manipulated to serve strategic ends, often with profound implications for sovereignty and dignity.

I recommend this book because it provides a compelling look at how economic interdependence—a cornerstone of global cooperation—has become a subtle yet powerful mechanism for exerting influence and control. It echoes my long-held conviction that the complex… show more.

The past few years have seen a massive explosion in the number of sanctions regimes and the use of tariffs as a major foreign policy tool.

This book really helped me to understand what is going on. It documents the "underground empire" developed by the United States in the aftermath of 9/11, drawing on its central role in the financial system, to be able to undertake powerful economic sanctions against both its enemies and allies. 

Farrell and Newman do an excellent job exposing the often hidden financial and infrastructural roots of US global power.

The book details how the US has used its control of choke points over internet and telecommunications traffic, as well as global banking through the SWIFT network, to enable it to advance its security objectives worldwide, while fighting back against rising challengers. Theirs is a cautionary tale, however, of overreach and globalization creating the possibility of pushback and escalation.