Captivating... The stuff of thrillers - the Financial Times. An explosive new vision of geopolitics from two groundbreaking political scientists. Deep beneath our feet lies one of the most sophisticated empires the world has ever known, vast and expansive. At first glance, it may not seem like much - it consists of fiber optic cables and obscure payment systems. However, according to prominent political scientists Henry Farrell and Abraham Newman, the United States has transformed the vital pathways of the global economy into tools of dominance over foreign companies and countries, whether they are rivals or allies, allowing it to maintain global supremacy.

Drawing on original reporting and groundbreaking research, Farrell and Newman explain how this underground empire has enabled the United States to spy on other nations and isolate its enemies. Now, the efforts of countries like China and Russia to break free from this coercive, U.S.-led system are turning the global economy into a battleground. Today's headlines about trade wars, sanctions, and technology export controls are merely tremors that point to much larger seismic shifts beneath the surface as we sleepwalk into a dangerous new struggle for empire.

An essential read for anyone who wants to understand how power is exercised today. "Underground Empire" weaves together stories of economic conflict, mysterious surveillance, and covert infrastructure projects to explain how the world order has been pushed to the brink of chaos - and how we might find a way back from the edge.