‘This is not the world we wanted, or were trying to shape, after the Cold War.
—Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken, February 2023’
David Sanger’s latest book, New Cold Wars: China’s Rise, Russia’s Invasion and America’s Struggle to Defend the West, pg. 435
Welcome to the 58th episode of The Hale Report. My name is Lyric Hughes Hale, editor-in-chief of econVue and your host.
My guest is journalist David E. Sanger. I have long admired his unflappable demeanor and clear-eyed focus on the facts. He is a best-selling author who uniquely combines coverage of foreign policy with economic analysis.
A three-time Pulitzer Prize winner, Sanger has worked as a journalist for The New York Times for the past 38 years. He serves as White House and National Security correspondent, at a time when both institutions are everything everyone is talking about—not just in the US, but around the world.
When we scheduled this podcast, my purpose was to discuss Sanger’s new book, New Cold Wars, China’s Rise, Russian’s Invasion and America’s Struggle to Defend the West which was an instant bestseller. However the day before, he was in the news himself. In response to Sanger’s question, President Biden admitted that the US is actively trying to disrupt the relationship between Russia and China.
Sanger has a way of getting people to say things they might not say to anyone else. His book, with co-author Mary K. Brooks, is full of conversations with people who shape foreign policy and more. He is credited with unintentionally coming up with slogan of Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign, “America First” during an interview with the then candidate.
David Sanger’s book is an insider narrative of how we got from the end of one Cold War, to the beginning of another. It’s not just about policy, but about how policy is made.
Topics Discussed
The difference between the old and new Cold War.
The new space race
Asymmetric warfare from—Stuxnet to VOLT TYPHOON
Why the US was able to predict Putin’s invasion of Ukraine
Was NATO expansion the culprit?
Why we got the Middle East so wrong
Does the US has a coherent game plan for China?
The bifurcated world order
The state of deglobalization
Julian Assange & the media
I hope you enjoy the podcast, and heartily recommend David Sanger’s latest book.
📍Chicago
With thanks to all the people behind the scenes who make econVue possible, especially our producer, Sam Fu.
David Sanger: The Hale Report Ep. 58