Laleh Khalili talks to Tom about the mythology of covert military operatives, through romance novels, self-help books and, more recently, the business guru, in the form of retired US army general Stanley McChrystal, who earns millions writing books and advising boards on how to inject warlike thinking into their business plans.

Find pieces mentioned in this episode here: https://lrb.me/khalili

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Title music by Kieran Brunt / Produced by Anthony Wilks

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