Three Dangerous Men

How three key figures in Moscow, Beijing, and Tehran built ruthless irregular warfare campaigns that are eroding American power.

Conventional warfare—clashes between large military forces—defined twentieth-century power. But today, facing a dominant American military, our principal adversaries, Russia, China, and Iran, have adopted a new style of competition. Cyber attacks, covert action, proxy conflicts, information and disinformation campaigns, espionage, and economic coercion—these are the tools of irregular, or asymmetric, warfare, which will increasingly reshape international politics.

Defense expert Seth G. Jones profiles pioneers of irregular warfare in Moscow, Beijing, and Tehran who adapted American techniques and made huge gains without waging traditional warfare. Drawing on interviews with dozens of US military, diplomatic, and intelligence officials, such as CIA directors Michael Hayden and David Petraeus, Three...