Showing results by author "David Ignatius"

A hyper-fast quantum computer is the digital equivalent of a nuclear bomb: whoever possesses one will be able to shred any encryption in existence, effectively owning the digital world. The question is: Who will build it first, the United States or China? The latest of David Ignatius' timely, sharp-eyed espionage novels follows CIA agent Harris Chang into a quantum research lab compromised by a suspected Chinese informant. The breach provokes a mole hunt that is obsessive, destructive, and - above all - uncertain.

Deep within Pakistan’s borders, a secret CIA team is being systematically dismantled by a cunning enemy. Soon, Sophie Marx, a young, ambitious agent, is on the ground searching for answers. But as she gets closer to the truth, she suffers a devastating betrayal and must risk more than her life to save the world from a terrifying fate.

When August 2016 began, Paul Manafort was about 11 weeks into his job as chairman of Donald Trump’s campaign. But despite the political tumult, Manafort found time that month to meet at a swank Manhattan cigar bar with someone the FBI has suggested has ties to Russian intelligence.

"We Know an Awful Lot About Manafort and Russia. Trump Can’t Make It Disappear." is from the April 24, 2018 Opinion section of The Washington Post. It was written by David Ignatius and narrated by Sam Scholl.

In David Ignatius' gripping new novel, spies don' t bother to steal information...they change it, permanently and invisibly. Graham Weber has been director of the CIA for less than a week when a Swiss kid in a dirty T-shirt walks into the American consulate in Hamburg and says the agency has been hacked, and he has a list of agents' names to prove it. This is the moment a CIA director most dreads. Weber isn' t sure where to turn until he meets a charismatic (and unstable) young man named James Morris who runs the Internet Operations Center.

Agents of Innocence is the book that established David Ignatius's reputation as a master of the novel of contemporary espionage. Into the treacherous world of shifting alliances and arcane subterfuge comes idealistic CIA man Tom Rogers. Posted in Beirut to penetrate the PLO and recruit a high-level operative, he soon learns the heavy price of innocence in a time and place that has no use for it. 

Arab leaders love the idea that President Trump is ready to give Iran a punch in the nose. But is this White House truly serious about challenging Iranian power in the Middle East? The evidence is mixed, at best.

"Is Trump Really Going to Punch Iran in the Nose?" is from the May 15, 2018 Opinion section of The Washington Post. It was written by David Ignatius and narrated by Sam Scholl.

The abiding image from this past weekend’s security conference here was of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu theatrically brandishing a piece of an Iranian drone shot down over Israel a week before — and starkly warning Tehran: “Do not test Israel’s resolve.”

"Syria Has Become a Gruesome Cockpit Once Again" is from the February 22, 2018 Opinion section of The Washington Post. It was written by David Ignatius and narrated by Jenny Hoops.

Suspenseful, compelling, and utterly believable, The Bank of Fear is unparalleled spy fiction in the best tradition of Graham Greene and John le Carré—a twisting tale of the ruthless greed and money laundering behind today’s headlines.

We may be missing the forest for the trees in the Russia story: The Kremlin’s attempt to meddle in the 2016 U.S. presidential election is part of a much bigger tale of Russian covert action — in which Donald Trump’s campaign was perhaps a tool, witting or unwitting. This secret manipulation, if unchecked, could pose an “existential threat” to Western democracy, argues Gérard Araud, France’s ambassador to Washington.

Roger Ferris is one of the CIA's soldiers in the war on terrorism. He has come out of Iraq with a shattered leg and an intense mission: to penetrate the network of a master terrorist known only as "Suleiman". Ferris' plan for getting inside Suleiman's tent is inspired by a masterpiece of British intelligence during World War II: he prepares a body of lies, literally the corpse of an imaginary CIA officer who appears to have accomplished the impossible by recruiting an agent within the enemy's ranks.

Imagine a bully who’s pounding your head against a wall. When you complain that it hurts and threaten to punch back, he offers to sign an international agreement against bullying. Meanwhile, he keeps pounding your head.

"Working with Russia on Cybercrime Is like Hiring a Burglar to Protect the Family Jewels" is from the September 05, 2018 Opinion section of The Washington Post. It was written by David Ignatius and narrated by Sam Scholl.

"A Strengthened IMF Benefits the U.S. And the World" is from the Ideas and Controversy section of The Washington Post. It was written by David Ignatius and narrated by Sam Scholl.

"The Brave New World of Robots and Lost Jobs" is from the August 11, 2016 Opinion section of The Washington Post. It was written by David Ignatius and narrated by Jill Melancon.

"Trump's Anti-Muslim Rhetoric Will Live in Infamy in American History" is from the Ideas and Controversy section of The Washington Post. It was written by David Ignatius and narrated by Jill Melancon.

Contemplating Russian nuclear threats during the Cold War, the strategist Herman Kahn calibrated a macabre ladder of escalation, with 44 rungs ranging from “Ostensible Crisis” to “Spasm or Insensate War.”

From a hidden enclave in the maze of Tehran, an Iranian scientist who calls himself "Dr. Ali" sends an encrypted message to the CIA. It falls to Harry Pappas to decide if it's for real.

Dr. Ali sends more secrets of the Iranian bomb program to the agency, then panics. He's being followed, but he doesn't know who's onto him, and neither does Pappas. The White House is no help---they're looking for a pretext to attack Tehran. To get his agent out, Pappas turns to a secret British spy team known as "The Increment".

"America May Be Doomed to Cooperate with Putin" is from the Ideas and Controversy section of The Washington Post. It was written by David Ignatius and narrated by Sam Scholl.

President Trump’s visit to the CIA on his first day in office shocked some agency veterans because of its combative, political tone. But several said they were glad that Trump seemed to have stopped demonizing the intelligence community and was presenting himself as its best friend.

"CIA Officers Give Mixed Reviews of Trump’s Strange Visit" is from the January 22, 2017 Opinion section of The Washington Post. It was written by David Ignatius and narrated by Sam Scholl.

"Can Xi Jinping Control China's Wave of Change?" is from the October 29, 2015 Ideas and Controversy section of The Washington Post. It was written by David Ignatius and narrated by Sam Scholl.

Looking at Russia’s competing spy services, their overlapping operations against the United States and their sometimes careless tradecraft, some CIA veterans are wondering if the Russian spooks actually want to get caught.

"This Is Not Your Grandfather’s KGB" is from the July 26, 2018 Opinion section of The Washington Post. It was written by David Ignatius and narrated by Jenny Hoops.