A review essay by John Williams

Naked Diplomacy: Power and Statecraft in the Digital Age, by Tom Fletcher. Publisher: William Collins 

The New Tsar: The Rise and Reign of Vladimir Putin, by Steven Lee Myers. Publisher: Vintage 

Saudi Arabia and Iran: Power and Rivalry in the Middle East, by Simon Mabon. Publisher: I.B. Tauris 

Morbid Symptoms: Relapse in the Arab Uprising, by Gilbert Achcar. Publisher: Stanford University Press 

About the author 

John Williams was Press Secretary to the UK Foreign Secretary from 2000-6. He is the international strategic communications advisor to the Syrian Opposition at the UN talks.