Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

This is the book I was hoping for when I bought "The Plot to Hack America". Of course, at the time, Nance had much the same thesis he does here--and he was speaking out when no one else (at least not in the media) was saying it. But then, in 2016, he didn't have that much to go on--some history, the U.S. intelligence statement in October, the various news reports and events showing Putin and WikiLeaks acting in ways that helped Trump and hurt Clinton, and his own instincts and analysis as a long-time intelligence officer. "The Plot to Hack America" was a book unlike anyone else's in the fall of 2016, but now he knows so much more, and can put the details and patterns together. And, unlike so many others writing on this subject (some currently on the best seller lists), Nance is not hesitant to say what he thinks the connection is between Putin and Trump and how it changed the 2016 election. The material is complicated--so many people, places and events to keep straight--but Nance writes well and lays it all out clearly--including the motivations he believes exist for the main actors. Agree or disagree with him, any reader should appreciate how Nance doesn't mince words. Here, for example, are the opening two sentences of Chapter One: "On November 8, 2016, Vladimir Putin became the first Russian President of the United States. What could arguably be called the greatest intelligence operation in the history of the world had been executed and the result was that the candidate Moscow had supported had won." That's pretty bold. What follows includes explanations of cyber warfare, Putin's efforts to undermine democracy in other countries as well as the U.S., Trump's leadership and character failings, Nance's view that the central idea of the Steele dossier (that Putin "has" something on Trump and is using it) is true, the many threads indicating conspiracy between Trump and Putin in 2016, and Putin's long range goals. For me, Nance filled in many things I wanted to know about, including what has happened in Russia since the fall of the Soviet Union--and how it's led to the rise of Putin, the former head of the KGB, as the autocratic president of non-socialist, non-democratic new Russia. Despite Russia's weakened economy (Russia really shouldn't be part of the G7, for example), Putin is making every effort to make it a major player on the world stage again (now, per Nance, succeeding more than ever with Trump's apparent cooperation). In two decades, he has consolidated his power and is now dealing with his 4th U.S. president although with a distinctly different relationship with Trump than anyone before him. When Putin told Trump to "meet in the Oval office with Labrov and Kislyac" last year, Trump did it. It was the first time they were allowed in the Oval Office since Russia invaded Crimea in 2014. Trump did it in secret, and made sure no U.S. reporters were present. Americans learned about it from the Russian photographer (spy?) who was allowed in. Trump admitted last month after the North Korea summit, that it was Putin who had told him to cancel the U.S. military exercises in Korea. Trump even told Kim Jung Un he would do it before he told U.S. officials, including the Secretary of Defense. He and Putin have met alone before, without even a U.S. translator present, only a Russian one. Trump and Putin have private talks frequently by phone, per Trump, that are undocumented. They plan to meet alone again at the summit in Helsinki. Presidents don't do things like that, so Americans should really wonder, "Why?". Reading "The Plot to Destroy Democracy" makes you wonder if there's a larger agenda here. In Nance's view, Trump often pushes Putin's doctrine and goals, whether it's an overly friendly and trusting message to North Korea's dictator or a hostile one to our NATO allies. It's something to think about, as the news unfolds before us. Was there--is there still--a relationship between Putin and Trump that is not healthy for our democracy? A less ambitious book might be easier to follow in parts, but Nance brings you up to speed on both the details and the "big picture". The Mueller investigation (here, hardly a "witch hunt" or hoax) is likely to add more indictments this summer--and trials are beginning soon. Americans need to understand what Russia did in 2016 and look at what this administration is doing now. In 2016, Russia attacked a United States election over months, in a number of ways, including hacking and weaponizing stolen information; attacks on databases and voting systems; and massive disinformation campaigns through social media. They haven't gone anywhere, and it makes sense they'll work to get Republicans in office again using these and whatever new tactics they've developed in the last two years, with greater access to government. With an election coming again this November--and, reportedly, no more protection against Russia's attacks on American democracy than existed the last time--this book could not be timed better in sounding an alarm.