Economic War

Winner of the Fletcher US-Russia Relations Book Prize

Selected as a Financial Times 'Book to Read'

Vladimir Putin's first invasion of Ukraine, in 2014, set off a global economic clash, as the West used its clout with international markets to deter and penalise the Kremlin. The battlelines of this 'war by other means' traversed a series of deep economic connections, built up during Russia's oil, gas and commodities boom: global equity and capital markets, and transnational kleptocracy.

Maximilian Hess's startling book, Economic War, lifts the lid on Russia's response to Western sanctions, and the ensuing skirmishes in London's courts, on Swiss trading desks and in boardrooms in New Delhi. He explores how pipelines, mines, loans and crypto-markets were weaponised. This narrative sets the stage for Putin's all-out assault on Kyiv in February 2022, which turned financial, food and fuel markets into bona fide battlefields, bringing the fight into everyone's home, from Pennsylvania to Pakistan.

Rather than a 'new Cold War', we are witnessing a conflict over finance, energy and capital markets. How such economic warfare turns out will determine the future of liberalism and democracy; it will also set a precedent for economic relations between the West and China, as the two diverge into rival spheres of influence and power.

'Hess examines how Russia's response to the west's economic sanctions following the first invasion of Ukraine in 2014 helped to set the stage for [the current] conflict.' Financial Times

'Timely.' Diplomatic Courier

'Much has been said about Putin's background in the KGB, but Hess makes a convincing case that his days in the St. Petersburg government, when he served as a liaison between the city, foreign business and, occasionally, criminal underworld, were just as formative.' The Washington Post

'An outstanding account, filled with insights and details. If you want to understand why we are already in an age of Global Conflict, there is no better place to start.' Peter Frankopan