The Battle for the Arctic
13 February 2026
Podcast
27 March 2024
What's happening in Haiti? Why is Keir Starmer getting dragged into culture war politics? Is Rachel Reeves' economic plan for the country "underwhelming" or "thoughtful"?
Join Rory and Alastair as they answer all these questions and more on today's episode of The Rest Is Politics.
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Haiti’s history is so sad particularly given its natural beauty. A relative of mine was apparently nearly murdered on more than one occasion by the Tonton Macoutes in the 1970s during what appeared to be a botched coup by the CIA in Port au Prince intended to topple Duvalier Junior.
If you are as intrigued as I am by Haiti and have fond memories of the Hôtel Oloffson in Port au Prince, Cap Haitien and even the slums in Cité Soleil, you should enjoy reading the fact based spy novel Beyond Enkription in TheBurlingtonFiles series.
However, if you think spy novels can only be written by John le Carré you may not appreciate this sui generis work. Nevertheless, it has been heralded by one US critic as “being up there with My Silent War by Kim Philby and No Other Choice by George Blake”.
No matter what, being fact based, Beyond Enkription is so realistic that it is hardly surprising it is allegedly mandatory reading on some countries’ intelligence induction programs.