War

Nick Day's Review 

During 1972, Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein were the journalists for The Washington Post which revealed one of the biggest scandals in American political history - Watergate. Their investigation led to numerous government probes and the eventual resignation of US President Richard Nixon. Woodward’s methodical research and investigative powers are on display here again. Set against the backdrop of the Biden administrations term in office and the recent US presidential race, Bob Woodward's new book War offers an in-depth examination of the individuals, choices, and behind-the-scenes political manoeuvring that have shaped three significant global conflicts involving the US: Afghanistan, the Russo-Ukrainian war, and the war in Gaza.

The introduction of the book features a lost interview from 1989, conducted by Woodward and Bernstein, which offers a unique perspective on a younger Trump and his future presidency. In this interview, Trump makes a prescient remark that sheds light on his current and possible future mindset about the use of presidential power. He tells Woodward and Bernstein: “If people know you’re a folder, if people know that you’re going to be weak, they’re going to go after you.”. The issue of projected weakness is a major criticism of Biden's leadership that echoes throughout the book. By describing Biden's withdrawal from Afghanistan as "chaotic" and "calamitous," the book concludes that America's image of weakness may have influenced Putin's decision to invade Ukraine, and allowed Netanyahu’s manipulations to pull the US further down the rabbit hole of a wider Middle East Conflict.

Biden’s team of Antony Blinken, Jake Sullivan, Bill Burns, Avril Haines, Lloyd Austin and Mark Milley, and their interactions with world leaders Putin, Netanyahu and Zelensky, mainly come across as measured and thoughtful. Their efforts have focused on trying to avoid a potential World War Three by navigating negotiations with Russia and defusing tensions in the Middle East, even when Netanyahu seemed determined to set the region ablaze.

Towards the end of the book, Woodward claims that history will judge Biden's efforts favorably: “... there were failures and mistakes. The full story is, of course, not yet known. But based on the evidence available now, I believe President Biden and his team will be largely studied in history as an example of steady and purposeful leadership.” Woodward continues: "Donald Trump is not only the wrong man for the presidency, he is unfit to lead the country. Trump was far worse than Richard Nixon, the provably criminal president ... Trump governed by fear and rage. And indifference to the public and national interest."

Who is wrong and who is right - the Hawks under Trump or the Doves under Biden? Only time will tell. This book offers a fascinating insight into America’s political machinations. Highly recommended.

Publisher's Review 

Chosen by WATERSTONES as one of their BEST POLITICS BOOKS of 2024.

Two-time Pulitzer prize winner Bob Woodward tells the revelatory, behind-the-scenes story of three wars – Ukraine, the Middle East and the struggle for the American presidency.

War is an intimate and sweeping account of one of the most tumultuous periods in presidential politics and American history.

We see President Joe Biden and his top advisers in tense conversations with Russian president Vladimir Putin, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky. We also see Donald Trump, conducting a shadow presidency and seeking to regain political power.

With unrivalled, inside-the-room reporting, Woodward shows President Biden’s approach to managing the war in Ukraine, the most significant land war in Europe since World War II, and his tortured path to contain the bloody Middle East conflict between Israel and the terrorist group Hamas.

Woodward reveals the extraordinary complexity and consequence of wartime back-channel diplomacy and decision-making to deter the use of nuclear weapons and a rapid slide into World War III.

The raw cage-fight of politics accelerates as Americans prepare to vote in 2024, starting between President Biden and Trump, and ending with the unexpected elevation of Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee for president.

War provides an unvarnished examination of the vice president as she tries to embrace the Biden legacy and policies while beginning to chart a path of her own as a presidential candidate.

Woodward’s reporting once again sets the standard for journalism at its most authoritative and illuminating.