When James Grady wrote the spy fiction novel, Six Days of the Condor in 1973, he had no idea his work would have real-world applications. But from an international assassination to a complete government-run espionage department, that's exactly what happened. With a film, TV series and several sequels now behind him, Grady says the hero of his novel is still inherently human, and in that way remains timeless. But he notes "one thing has changed completely" since the book was first published — and that's the digital revolution.
Grady observes that society has become "so much more complex" and that we as individuals have become more isolated as a result. Instead of making it easier to uncover truths about our world, he believes the information age has only made it "harder to separate fact from theory from propaganda from downright manipulation." And that compared with the 1970s, there are also more kinds of bad actors today than ever before, due in part to the "fragmentation of society."
In this podcast, Grady and Stratfor Chief Security Officer Fred Burton discuss what makes today's world infinitely more vexing when it comes to security, geopolitics and diplomacy compared with the days of the Cold War.
Related Reading
Six Days of the Condor, by James Grady
Three Days of the Condor, a film by Sydney Pollack
Beirut Rules, by Fred Burton
Russia's New Weapons Give the U.S. Room for Pause, from Stratfor Worldview
The EMP Threat is Real But Shouldn't Keep You Up at Night, from Stratfor Worldview
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