Turn any article into a podcast. Upgrade now to start listening.
Members can share articles with friends & family to bypass the paywall.
Most Americans think of double agents in Hollywood tropes: a furtive meeting in a distant hotel, a dead drop in a swanky casino, coded messages in dark web chatrooms. In reality, betrayal of one’s country often starts at home, with far more mundane scenes—a sudden financial crisis, a personal indiscretion, a rescinded job offer.
Emma Isabella Sage is the co-founder of a research software startup, LIVINI, a research affiliate at the University of Glasgow, and a 2026 International Strategy Forum fellow. She writes on national security, geoeconomics, and emerging technology.
