Book Review: “Disintegration" by Andrei Martyanov
By BYRON KING, 2021-06-01
I hope you had a good Memorial Day holiday, or “long weekend” as Vice President Kamala Harris characterized the designated time of remembrance toward our country’s war dead.
If you somehow missed the news, Lady Eminence — number two in the national chain of command — sent out an execrable tweet that included a mug shot of herself as opposed to… oh, I dunno… maybe a sea of flags in a national cemetery. I won’t dignify the disgrace by linking to it. Look it up if you’re interested.
But I mention this because Harris’s (likely intentional) slight to our esteemed and departed old Soldiers and Sailors embodies the abysmally low ethical and intellectual quality of many people who somehow have achieved powers of governance in this once noble Republic.
This problem is not a Democrat or Republican thing either. Indeed, our country’s pervasive levels of foolishness are beyond political. We’re looking at a profoundly cultural problem with deep roots in the country’s broken, dysfunctional educational system. Or to paraphrase Forrest Gump, miseducated is as miseducated does.
The end result is bipartisan, pig-headed, radical-imbecile ignorance which abounds in Washington D.C., as well as many state capitols. And in a nuclear-armed country, that’s a bad problem, especially one whose economy has devolved into little more than a continental-scale big box store.
It’s not inaccurate to say that the nation’s decrepit, intellectually bankrupt governing class is by now a feature, not a bug.
And yet, I don’t like to point out problems without offering some hint of a solution. Which prompts me to recommend a fabulous new book about what ails America, written by a former naval officer of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. Or in other words, a Russian guy.
Here’s the point. Sometimes you really are sick and you truly need a second opinion from that gruff, no-nonsense doctor whose office is down at the far end of the hospital.
In this case, the man’s name is ANDREI MARTYANOV, who recently published his third book (in three years, no less!) on the global correlation of forces and how they no longer favor the U.S.
The title is “Disintegration: Indicators of the Coming American Collapse” from Clarity Press, available from the publisher (recommended) or Amazon, etc., at the risk of low inventory and frustrating delays in delivery.
One way or another, whether you buy it or borrow… read this book!
But wait. Perhaps you’re already thinking, “Oh, another of those America-Is-Doomed books,” which are a dime a dozen and under which many a bookshelf already groans.
Well, no. Because while America may very well be doomed, some books on the subject are distinctly better than others. And also, consider the source.
Martyanov is not some aspiring politician or policymaker-wannabe who wrote a campaign book about how you should vote for him and save the country.
Nor is he a political science major who went into pay-per-click journalism; or a talking head who hosts a blah-blah radio show and you should listen to him daily for three hours to save the country.
He’s definitely not a stockbroker with a portfolio to sell, with the promise of how investing properly (and in his picks) can save the country.
Nor is the man a frustrated college professor who whose tenuous prospects for tenure hinge on writing a massive, heavily-footnoted, best-selling book about saving the country.
No, Martyanov is a classically educated Russian, which means very well educated. He speaks and writes fluent English, better than many native speakers in the U.S. I’d opine.
Martyanov can discuss Tolstoy or Gogol as well as Marx and Lenin. And he can cite and utterly deconstruct a broad spectrum of American and British foreign and military policy writers who never saw a problem overseas that could not be solved by sending U.S. jets to bomb the place.
Long ago in the Soviet era, Martyanov graduated from a five-year, six day per week academic program at a rigorous naval academy (but I repeat myself because all Soviet military schools were rigorous). Among other things, he studied lots of math and physics, military history and operations theory.
Post-graduation, Martyanov served in a variety of assignments as a cadre officer in the Soviet navy of the 1980s, through the demise of the USSR in 1991.
As fate would have it, Soviet collapse left Martyanov in Azerbaijan where, as an ethnic Russian, he became in a legal sense a stateless person. Meanwhile, post-Soviet Russia of the 1990s fast transformed into an economic and social wreck, a dangerous place run by ruthless oligarchs.
In the 1990s, Martyanov emigrated to the U.S. where, for a few years, he taught math and physics to American students, many of whom went on to impressive universities. Eventually he went to work for an aerospace contractor in the Puget Sound region. In 2014 Martyanov began a website called
In his blog, Martyanov offers brass-knuckle contrarian opinions, definitely contrary to the U.S. mainstream. He explains the state of the world via thoughtful, Russian oriented perspective (make that Russian military perspective…). It’s no-nonsense thinking from one who is clearly conversant with the math-based, analytical approach of a highly competent, superpower-level general staff.
In other words, what Martyanov puts out contrasts sharply with the thin gruel and anemic pabulum served up in the U.S./Western media.
OVER THE PAST SEVEN YEARS, Martyanov has provided a sophisticated Russian view of, among other things, the Napoleonic and Crimean Wars, as well as the Bolshevik Revolution, World War II and the Cold War. Indeed, he takes these seemingly long-ago events and uses them to frame current issues. It’s eye opening if your eyes can open that wide.
With respect to recent events, Martyanov has explained the historical and strategic importance of the Western coup that captured Ukraine; Russia retaking Crimea; Putin’s 20-year reconstruction of the Russian economy, from farming and health care to the broad, stunning evolution of Russian weapon systems.
From ground combat to outer space, over time Martyanov has carefully explained the strategic, operational and even tactical logic of Russian actions in Syria and across the Middle East and North Africa. That, and he’s explained the growing strategic, military, energy and industrial partnerships between Russia and China, as well as similar matters concerning Russia and Iran.
In certain ways, Martyanov is what one might call a “Putin whisperer,” in essence explaining to an English-speaking audience what Putin actually means, particularly when the Russian leader is either mis-translated or foolishly misconstrued (or shamefully ignored) by knuckleheads in the Western media and politics who truly do not have a clue.
It’s much the same when Martyanov deciphers comments by other key names within the Russian hierarchy, such as Foreign Minister Lavrov or Defense Minister Shoigu. Worth reading…
Based on both web traffic and the comments section of his posts, it’s more than apparent that people in intelligence services across the world read what Martyanov has to say.
Which brings us to “Disintegration,” in which Martyanov examines the American economy and points out innumerable myths, or at best weak foundations, upon which the entire edifice is constructed. Indeed, he’s kind enough to point out much that is perfectly obvious, thus avoiding toxic-fact-shock to the chronically misinformed. Yet he ruthlessly, bluntly connects many dots in ways that Western media generally fail to see.
Martyanov begins with something basic, namely the U.S. food supply coupled with widespread food insecurity for much of the population. He contrasts this with the so-called “affluenza” that afflicts the country. That is, the disparity between poverty and wealth in an economy built on and around a vast-spending welfare state that supports ENDLESS consumption paid for in soon-to-be hyperinflating dollars.
By BYRON KING, 2021-06-01
I hope you had a good Memorial Day holiday, or “long weekend” as Vice President Kamala Harris characterized the designated time of remembrance toward our country’s war dead.
If you somehow missed the news, Lady Eminence — number two in the national chain of command — sent out an execrable tweet that included a mug shot of herself as opposed to… oh, I dunno… maybe a sea of flags in a national cemetery. I won’t dignify the disgrace by linking to it. Look it up if you’re interested.
But I mention this because Harris’s (likely intentional) slight to our esteemed and departed old Soldiers and Sailors embodies the abysmally low ethical and intellectual quality of many people who somehow have achieved powers of governance in this once noble Republic.
This problem is not a Democrat or Republican thing either. Indeed, our country’s pervasive levels of foolishness are beyond political. We’re looking at a profoundly cultural problem with deep roots in the country’s broken, dysfunctional educational system. Or to paraphrase Forrest Gump, miseducated is as miseducated does.
The end result is bipartisan, pig-headed, radical-imbecile ignorance which abounds in Washington D.C., as well as many state capitols. And in a nuclear-armed country, that’s a bad problem, especially one whose economy has devolved into little more than a continental-scale big box store.
It’s not inaccurate to say that the nation’s decrepit, intellectually bankrupt governing class is by now a feature, not a bug.
And yet, I don’t like to point out problems without offering some hint of a solution. Which prompts me to recommend a fabulous new book about what ails America, written by a former naval officer of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. Or in other words, a Russian guy.
Here’s the point. Sometimes you really are sick and you truly need a second opinion from that gruff, no-nonsense doctor whose office is down at the far end of the hospital.
In this case, the man’s name is ANDREI MARTYANOV, who recently published his third book (in three years, no less!) on the global correlation of forces and how they no longer favor the U.S.
The title is “Disintegration: Indicators of the Coming American Collapse” from Clarity Press, available from the publisher (recommended) or Amazon, etc., at the risk of low inventory and frustrating delays in delivery.
One way or another, whether you buy it or borrow… read this book!
But wait. Perhaps you’re already thinking, “Oh, another of those America-Is-Doomed books,” which are a dime a dozen and under which many a bookshelf already groans.
Well, no. Because while America may very well be doomed, some books on the subject are distinctly better than others. And also, consider the source.
Martyanov is not some aspiring politician or policymaker-wannabe who wrote a campaign book about how you should vote for him and save the country.
Nor is he a political science major who went into pay-per-click journalism; or a talking head who hosts a blah-blah radio show and you should listen to him daily for three hours to save the country.
He’s definitely not a stockbroker with a portfolio to sell, with the promise of how investing properly (and in his picks) can save the country.
Nor is the man a frustrated college professor who whose tenuous prospects for tenure hinge on writing a massive, heavily-footnoted, best-selling book about saving the country.
No, Martyanov is a classically educated Russian, which means very well educated. He speaks and writes fluent English, better than many native speakers in the U.S. I’d opine.
Martyanov can discuss Tolstoy or Gogol as well as Marx and Lenin. And he can cite and utterly deconstruct a broad spectrum of American and British foreign and military policy writers who never saw a problem overseas that could not be solved by sending U.S. jets to bomb the place.
Long ago in the Soviet era, Martyanov graduated from a five-year, six day per week academic program at a rigorous naval academy (but I repeat myself because all Soviet military schools were rigorous). Among other things, he studied lots of math and physics, military history and operations theory.
Post-graduation, Martyanov served in a variety of assignments as a cadre officer in the Soviet navy of the 1980s, through the demise of the USSR in 1991.
As fate would have it, Soviet collapse left Martyanov in Azerbaijan where, as an ethnic Russian, he became in a legal sense a stateless person. Meanwhile, post-Soviet Russia of the 1990s fast transformed into an economic and social wreck, a dangerous place run by ruthless oligarchs.
In the 1990s, Martyanov emigrated to the U.S. where, for a few years, he taught math and physics to American students, many of whom went on to impressive universities. Eventually he went to work for an aerospace contractor in the Puget Sound region. In 2014 Martyanov began a website called
In his blog, Martyanov offers brass-knuckle contrarian opinions, definitely contrary to the U.S. mainstream. He explains the state of the world via thoughtful, Russian oriented perspective (make that Russian military perspective…). It’s no-nonsense thinking from one who is clearly conversant with the math-based, analytical approach of a highly competent, superpower-level general staff.
In other words, what Martyanov puts out contrasts sharply with the thin gruel and anemic pabulum served up in the U.S./Western media.
OVER THE PAST SEVEN YEARS, Martyanov has provided a sophisticated Russian view of, among other things, the Napoleonic and Crimean Wars, as well as the Bolshevik Revolution, World War II and the Cold War. Indeed, he takes these seemingly long-ago events and uses them to frame current issues. It’s eye opening if your eyes can open that wide.
With respect to recent events, Martyanov has explained the historical and strategic importance of the Western coup that captured Ukraine; Russia retaking Crimea; Putin’s 20-year reconstruction of the Russian economy, from farming and health care to the broad, stunning evolution of Russian weapon systems.
From ground combat to outer space, over time Martyanov has carefully explained the strategic, operational and even tactical logic of Russian actions in Syria and across the Middle East and North Africa. That, and he’s explained the growing strategic, military, energy and industrial partnerships between Russia and China, as well as similar matters concerning Russia and Iran.
In certain ways, Martyanov is what one might call a “Putin whisperer,” in essence explaining to an English-speaking audience what Putin actually means, particularly when the Russian leader is either mis-translated or foolishly misconstrued (or shamefully ignored) by knuckleheads in the Western media and politics who truly do not have a clue.
It’s much the same when Martyanov deciphers comments by other key names within the Russian hierarchy, such as Foreign Minister Lavrov or Defense Minister Shoigu. Worth reading…
Based on both web traffic and the comments section of his posts, it’s more than apparent that people in intelligence services across the world read what Martyanov has to say.
Which brings us to “Disintegration,” in which Martyanov examines the American economy and points out innumerable myths, or at best weak foundations, upon which the entire edifice is constructed. Indeed, he’s kind enough to point out much that is perfectly obvious, thus avoiding toxic-fact-shock to the chronically misinformed. Yet he ruthlessly, bluntly connects many dots in ways that Western media generally fail to see.
Martyanov begins with something basic, namely the U.S. food supply coupled with widespread food insecurity for much of the population. He contrasts this with the so-called “affluenza” that afflicts the country. That is, the disparity between poverty and wealth in an economy built on and around a vast-spending welfare state that supports ENDLESS consumption paid for in soon-to-be hyperinflating dollars.
