Released: 29th October 2020
Genre: Non-fiction, technology, society, politics, thinking
Number of Pages: 293
As a leading director at the UK’s GCHQ, David Omand pursued a deep and involving career with intelligence. With his latest book, he’s sharing some of this experience with the public to excellent effect.
Across five decades, intelligence, its uses and pervasion in public society have been shaped and altered by a wide array of world events and technological advances. With ten chapters, David delivers almost a dozen important lessons that anyone, not just analysts, can apply in today’s context. These range from critical thinking skills to varying up your approach when it comes to greater problem solving and considering every item of evidence available to you. Bullet-pointed summaries at the end of each chapter allow the reader to easily take in these insights.
Each lesson is grounded in case studies such as the UK’s flawed anticipation of the Falklands invasion in 1982. These build to more contemporary examples such as Russian disinformation campaigns in the US and French general elections. With this grounding in place, Omand goes on to explain mistakes made and why they matter to the bigger picture. The real meat and potatoes of the book is Chapter 10; here the author embarks on a deeper dive into modern subversive tactics on the internet. The problems he describes should matter to all of us in the west; this section spins the most comprehensive web of intrigue.
While the book does look to the past, it is also very considerate of current and future challenges; the ten lessons are designed to combat the mistruths we see circulating on social media while also projecting an ideal solution to tackling issues of the digital age.
Recommended?
YES: How Spies Think is truly essential reading for anyone looking to understanding our modern, digitised world. Omand relays his knowledge so skilfully, blending it with both real world history and situations we may encounter in our own lives. The book leaps beyond sharing his extensive expertise and provides a compelling examination of today’s tenuous, often unpredictable landscape. Pick up this one as soon as you can
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