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An explosive new vision of geopolitics from two trailblazing political scientists

Deep beneath our feet, vast and sprawling, lies one of the most sophisticated empires the world has ever known. At first glance, it might not look like much - it is made up of fibre optic cables and obscure payment systems. But according to prominent political scientists Henry Farrell and Abraham Newman, this network is the key source of American power on the global stage, more significant than its military might.

Since the end of the Cold War, the United States has built a new empire underground, through telecommunications and financial networks that the entire world relies upon, which has allowed it to eavesdrop on other countries and isolate its enemies. And now, efforts by countries such as China and Russia to untether themselves from this coercive US-led system are turning the global economy into a battle zone.

A gripping and revelatory account of contemporary geopolitics, Underground Empire weaves together tales of economic conflict, shadowy surveillance technologies and covert infrastructure projects to explain how the world order has been brought to the brink of chaos - and how we might find a way back from the edge.