The Two Michaels, Fen Osler Hampson
The Two Michaels, Fen Osler Hampson
List: $20.00 | Sale: $14.00
Club: $10.00

The Two Michaels
Innocent Canadian Captives and High Stakes Espionage in the US-China Cyber War

Author: Fen Osler Hampson, Mike Blanchfield

Narrator: Miles Meili

Unabridged: 8 hr 22 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 06/21/2022


Synopsis

Landing in Vancouver on a flight from Hong Kong on December 2018, Chinese telecom executive Meng Wanzhou was arrested by Canadian authorities with an American extradition warrant. The US Department of Justice accused Meng of fraud and bypassing sanctions against Iran. Nine days later, in an act of retaliation, China arrested two Canadians—Michael Spavor, an entrepreneur, and Michael Kovrig, a peace advocate—charging them with spying.

Imprisoned and interrogated, the Two Michaels became hostages in a tense showdown between China and the United States over not only the Meng extradition but whether East or West will control the future of the internet.

In this timely and essential book, journalist Mike Blanchfield and international affairs expert Fen Osler Hampson combine groundbreaking original reporting and keen analysis to tell this gripping and ongoing story of cyber espionage, life-and-death diplomacy, and global superpowers in conflict.

About The Author

Fen Osler Hampson is Chancellor’s Professor at Carleton University and President of the World Refugee & Migration Council.Mike Blanchfield is the international affairs writer for The Canadian Press, based in Ottawa.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Ron on January 23, 2023

I don’t often read non-fiction, preferring instead the narrative arc of fiction. This book, however, does a really wonderful job of employing simple storytelling techniques - engaging quotes, anecdotes about political gaffes, and first hand accounts form many of the players involved - to deliver a c......more

Goodreads review by Ben on January 21, 2022

Excellent political book, really interesting read. Great book on foreign policy. Learned a lot. A lot of the book covers Meng and the accounts that led to the two Michaels being held captive. I found the journalism by Blanchfield very well done. The research and the recommendations and points were ver......more

Goodreads review by Melanie on September 13, 2023

I read this while travelling through China on vacation, and finished it on my exit flight out. To this day, Canada cautions its citizens (like myself) that they are at risk of arbitrary detention if they go to China, so going through airport security is more stressful than it usual was for me. In fa......more

Goodreads review by Patrick on September 01, 2022

A compelling narration of one of Canada's most serious hostage crisis. To my mind, this incident was as much of a violation as the Iran hostage crisis of 1979, even though there were only two hostages involved. This was purely a revenge against Canada's holding of Meng Wahzhou, a genuine criminal who......more

Goodreads review by Mary on September 07, 2022

This book was meticulously and thoroughly research but not a slow difficult read, as might be expected from this type of book. It reinforces the challenges faced by global citizens in a world where everyone has a different playbook; moreover, Canada's politics are certainly not those of the U.S. or......more