Chowdhury, an analyst at the Global Policy Institute,surveys the geopolitical implications of Russia’s war against Ukraine.

During a 2004 visit to the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv,the author notes, he was struck by the number of citizens who believed that their nation’s “future lay with the West and not Russia.” Yet, as he traveled into the countryside, he found a more nuanced story, encountering a minority Russian-speaking population who supported Russia; some even had family members working in Moscow. The author draws on his intimate familiarity with Ukrainian and Russian perspectives to make a convincing case for the strategic value of a Ukrainian victory to global stability. He argues that Ukraine represents a “bulwark against potential Russian escalations” as far west as Poland and Germany, and also addresses the humanitarian crisis spawned by the ongoing war in which Ukrainian civilians “face the daily realities of Russian aggression,” including bombings and abductions. The book notes the advantages of sustained Ukrainian support from Western nations, but also asserts that mere financial and military aid may not be enough, noting how the Russian government has navigated sanctions to find “new life” by undercutting oil prices. Chowdhury is pragmatic in his approach; for example, he recognizes the impact of the recent U.S. presidential election and offers an astute analysis of how the European Union could leverage a Russian victory to strengthen economic, military, and political ties with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. As the author of multiple books on geopolitical history and contemporary world affairs, Chowdhury offers a scholarly evaluation of the conflict, backed by more than two dozen pages of research endnotes. His learned analysis is enhanced by an engaging writing style that will appeal to general audiences; in addition, the book’s narrative overview of Ukrainian-Russian relations provides important historical context for readers unfamiliar with the region. If the war represents, as the author compellingly suggests, “the deepest crisis in Russian-Western relations since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis,” then this is a solid introductory book on its history and implications.

A timely, well-researched case for the necessity of Ukrainian victory.

In this nonfiction book, a foreign relations expert surveys the global impact of Russia’s war against Ukraine and offers context.

Dedicated to “all Ukrainians” who “shall triumph over this war too,” this volume analyzes the Eastern European nation’s historic relationship with Russia and how the world came to its “most challenging moment” since the Cuban missile crisis of 1962. Chowdhury’s erudite account walks readers through the turbulent history of Ukraine during World War II and the Cold War, its post-Soviet independence, and the forces inside Russia that initiated the current conflict. While this story is not unknown, it is related here in an accessible yet nuanced writing style. And the book often adds underreported elements to its contextualization of the war. While not justifying his behavior, the work complicates the standard depictions of Vladimir Putin, reminding readers that he petitioned for NATO membership during his first term as president. Indeed, throughout Putin’s first two terms in office, at a time when he “needed the West to rebuild, reshape and reorganize Russia from the economic mess he inherited,” he presented his country as an unflinching advocate of America’s war on terror and provided logistical support for United States endeavors in Afghanistan. It was only after his subsequent reelection in 2012 that Putin’s posturing shifted to anti-Western rhetoric that promised Russian citizens a “new destiny” and the nation’s return to its former glory, which corresponded with military expeditions in Syria, Libya, Georgia, and Crimea. The roots of this book lie in Chowdhury’s undergraduate thesis at George Mason University, which in part explored Ukraine’s complex history. Two decades later, as a fellow at the Global Policy Institute with a graduate degree from Harvard University and multiple books on Middle Eastern geopolitics and nuclear arms, the author provided significant updates to his unpublished work on Ukraine. Backed by solid research found in more than 30 pages of references, this volume is a detailed, historically minded addition to the conversations surrounding Russia’s war in Ukraine. But at more than 400 pages, the book may be intimidating to some readers.

A well-written, convincing case for why Ukraine matters to the world’s future.

A young man of Indian descent trying to make his mark in London’s financial market gets drawn into the horrors of World War I in this novel.

Firoze Hazari finds himself in a bind. He has just completed his studies at Oxford and his parents now want him to return to India to join the family business and marry the “perfect bride” they have found for him. While he’s not ready to settle down, he needs to establish an independent income to remain in London. At first, he finds some success working at the Wilneck Group, a major investment firm. But Firoze suffers from the isolation of a foreigner in a nation that resists fully accepting him, a personal crisis that only intensifies once his company is defrauded. The firm fires him, turning him into its “sacrificial lamb.” Moreover, he frets anxiously about the increasingly inevitable eruption of war. In dire financial straits, Firoze is recruited into The Pannonian, a counterespionage agency, and is eventually thrust into the war as an operative. Chowdhury intelligently captures the volatility of London in advance of the war and the stubborn refusal of some, despite the warning signs, to acknowledge its likelihood. He deftly injects many rich historical details into the story. But the plot as a whole is infused with a didactic quality, as if the author is straining to impart moral edification to readers. This sermonizing earnestness is only exacerbated by the fact that the lesson remains bewilderingly unclear given the murkiness of Chowdhury’s writing. Firoze’s anxiety about the upcoming war is depicted by the author in confusingly muddled terms typical of his uneven prose: “The paradox in his subconscious could not find any way to simply define itself, nor could it be understood completely. A poor tolerance of any rationale to differentiate the racist against his non-British roots, or fascist opinions that comprised of everything he despised, could not be tolerated.”

An intriguing war thriller hampered by a shaky plot.

In the last gasp of a post-colonial nation, its sultan reflects on the tragedies and horrors of his rule.

On a rainy night in 1947, the Irani Palace of the province of Sipheristan hosts a grand celebration, complete with drinks, dancing, and many beautiful contenders for the heart of its crown prince. His father, the Sultan Aslan, sits aside from the celebration, reflecting on the years of his rule and his service to both the province and the British. The colonial support that has allowed Sipheristan to expand and protect itself is withdrawing, bordering nations seek to absorb it, and America and the Soviet Union eye its natural resources. Furthermore, the Paradise Valley, as travelers have long called the area, hosts a diverse population of Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, and Hindus, their differences leading to increased sectarian violence. Mounting debt, challenges from charismatic yet cruel figures like Genghis Rasul, renewed Islamic conservatism, and family drama, such as that caused by the Sultan’s late, mentally unstable queen, have eroded trust and power. The rebels are at the door, quite literally, and Aslan looks back on his losses: his love affair with Swiss pilot Eva Piazinni, his 13-year-old daughter’s suicide and his son’s death fighting the Japanese, the murder and torture he inflicted on family, the political and socio-economic maneuvering with corrupt British leaders—all for his home. Chowdhury’s novel, well researched and well reasoned, crafts a fictitious country with all the political intrigue of any post-colonial nation after World War II. The impacts of droughts, insurgencies, love affairs, and scintillating land reforms are exactingly described. Sipheristan itself exudes culture, enveloping the reader in elaborate dances, architecture, and folklore, like the cursed Noor diamond. Yet for all this detail, even at its most engrossing the book tends to be fairly dry, written more like a history book than the epic novel its large cast and sweeping narrative promise. The intricacies of any economic or political decision are painstakingly broken down, but cast conflicts, such as the death of the crown prince’s mother and its effect on him or Aslan’s duality as a sympathetic leader, despite his willingness to torture children, go largely unexplored.

A thickly detailed political thriller that skimps on character development.

A man who wishes to right the wrongs of his military-controlled country seeks the leadership of his party in Chowdhury’s political novel.

During the summer of 1975, Andres Orce—a member of parliament in an unnamed country—vacations with his university roommate and his family on a rural island property. During the visit, Andres begins having nightmares of the kind he used to get back in school, which will persist and become one of the mysteries of the novel. While playing in the woods, Andres’ daughters and the visiting children discover pieces of glass, which in turn lead Andres to uncover a previously unknown mass grave. He contacts the military—the de facto rulers of the country—about the discovery, but when they come to investigate it, Andres sees them murder an old man in cold blood. Andres is just then running for the leadership of the opposition party, the Liberal Socialists. The prospect of defeat weighs heavily upon him. “What if he did not win the leadership election? What if things between him and [his wife] Allegra never returned to how they once were? What if his country ended up crippled forever because he failed? What if? What if? What if?” The problem is that Andres has acted rather independently as of late. As a result, the party higher-ups are understandably reluctant to reward his insubordination. As if intraparty rivalries weren’t enough, Andres must always fear the very real possibility of assassination. Chowdhury explores decades of political upheaval in the country—which resembles Spain, though it is never identified as such—and demonstrates how they weigh on Andres’ own moment in history. Unfortunately, the author’s prose is stilted and frequently ungrammatical: “It was a rare sight. Even for Irina, to see her sister Iris (who was often arrogantly irresponsible), express any opinion, so the fact that she did so was very notable. It gave confidence to the twin that they were dutifully handling something of a calamity together.” Nearly the entire story is told as exposition, which makes the already dry subject matter quite a bit drier. Chowdhury clearly means to educate with this political fable, but the reader loses interest long before the story gets going.

A subtle meditation on political bravery that suffers from its unpolished prose.