The Unending Game: A Former R&AW Chief's Insights into Espionage
Former head of India's Research and Analysis Wing pulls back the curtain on espionage in all its complexity. Sood walks readers through decades of shifting threats, from the tensions of the Cold War through to today's sprawling networks of extremism and digital warfare. He explores how intelligence officers actually gather secrets, sift through noise, and transform raw data into actionable insights that shape a nation's survival. India occupies an intriguing position on the world stage. It pursues genuine global influence yet grapples with volatile neighbours and persistent regional instability. Sood examines what this contradiction means for an intelligence service, and how the stakes have climbed. He unpacks surveillance systems, psychological operations, hacking campaigns. Most importantly, he explains why spycraft isn't some exotic sideline to diplomacy and military strategy. It's foundational. Nations compete first and fiercest in the realm of secrets. This book offers neither Hollywood glamour nor textbook dryness. Instead, it's a pragmatic insider's account of how countries actually protect themselves, and what it takes to gather the intelligence that keeps them safe. You'll finish with a sharper grasp of why intelligence matters, and what makes the profession so relentless.
- Author: Vikram Sood
- Publisher: Penguin Viking
- Genre: Social Sciences
- ISBN: 978-0670091508
- Pages: 304 pages