The Weaponisation of Everything is a well-researched book that coalesces the alternate, non-lethal weapons of war in the 21st century.
Readers should note that the book is heavily weighted against Russia, China and the Middle East. Given that the author is a specialist in Russian affairs, this isn’t surprising, but I wish his editor had pointed out that in the weaponisation of everything, the West is far from innocent, and suggested a chapter on the West’s role in the new alt-wars for balance.
Another missed opportunity is the section on business – from the Dole to Exxon and beyond, there is a wealth of examples on how big businesses contribute to conflict. The author could have looked at the way big multinationals (oil companies for example) engender war through supporting corruption and the recent disinformation war on climate change.
This book provides substantial fodder those pre-disposed to blame Russia and China for the state of the world, but I was disappointed that the author did not see past his area of expertise to include other big players in the war machine for balance, or alternately restated the objective of the book to make it clearer that its focus was limited to anti-western realms.
Thanks to NetGallery for providing an e-copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.

Another ARC from Netgalley, and a book I found interesting to start but sadly gravitated away from. Recent events piqued my interest again and I finally finished it off, with a wealth of understanding for the use of information, distrust, soldiers-plus and various tactics that are starkly present in today's environment. A chilling read

This review is of an ARC provided by Netgalley and Yale University Press in exchange for an honest review.

My rating for this book is 4/5.

I am personally interested in reading more about the overall political conflagration that would lead to the onset of war, and also with regards to how dynamic and fluid nature modern types of warfare. In particular the analysis of economic and political methods through which to wage war as well as the analysis of more 'traditional' type of warfare of territorial conquest is a thoroughly interesting and engaging read in light of recent events particularly in regards to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

“The Weaponisation of Everything” by is at times incredibly prescient and also a thoroughly fascinating work of in-depth analysis presented terms non-academics and those less engaged in the subject of geopolitics could understand. It is overall fascinating in how it develops and builds the case for Galeotti's insights on the topic.

I wish to see more books like this, and I would overall heartily recommend this book.

2500 years ago, Sun Tzu in the Art of War states ‘all warfare is based on deception’.

As events unfold following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine ‘The Weaponization of Everything’ is indeed a timely book. The first chapter opens with a paragraph describing Putin’s intents on returning Crimea to Russia and later describes how in the midst of a disinformation campaign, the citizen investigative journalism outfit, Bellingcat managed to piece together evidence about the tragic flight MH17.

‘The Weaponisation of Everything’ book is a field guide about war – a useful companion to understand global events - and how statecraft and warfare have changed over the centuries. Through reading the book the reader gains a historical perspective as well as deep insight into the modern world. We learn that warfare has become so sophisticated -it’s all around us and we don’t even know it.

Combining storytelling with hard facts, Galeotti provides numerous examples of economic warfare, culture wars and disinformation (information wars). We are told deception is not a recent phenomenon and he is right.
This is a well-researched book written in a way that anyone with an interest in history, current affairs and geopolitics can read and understand. I particularly valued the additional reading, references to other published works on the subject matter. Excellent

In his incredibly timely and thought-provoking book, “The Weaponisation of Everything”, author Mark Galeotti guides the reader through the new covert battlefield and offers a field-guide to the multifaceted and often insidious ways in which this new kind of war is now waged. And most importantly, how to adapt to it.
Galeotti depicts an ever-changing world where the escalating cost of traditional conflict has birthed a new kind of warfare that often goes completely unnoticed by the public. There is an all too-recognisable cast of characters who wage war with the weapons of the 21st century - big data, disinformation and subversion.
This is a heavy subject but Mark Galeotti writes in a very engaging way. Wide-ranging, detailed and unflinching, this book’s subject matter is naturally quite frightening, and could have been simply a harrowing warning of a dystopian future. Yet Galeotti leads us through ways of not only dealing with this new reality, but also of profiting from it. “The Weaponisation of Everything” is a prescient and scholarly work that is required reading for anyone interested in the geopolitics of the future.