I came across this techno-thriller in a charity shop and was mildly surprised not to have encountered it before, having read Red Phoenix and Vortex. Published in 1993, it was one of that wave of novels published in the recent wake of the "New World Order", when the Soviet Union had disappeared and politicans and writers alike were looking for new enemies.
The premise of the book is that both NATO and the European Community break down not only because the Cold War has ended but because of a worldwide wave of isolationism, nationalism and protectionism that affects not only Europe but the rest of the trading nations, including the US. Against this dark backdrop of economic and political entrenchment, Nicolas Desaix, the director of the French Secret Service, the DGSE, manouvers his way to power and is instrumental in the creation of a new European Confederation (EurCon), the basis of which is a military union with Germany. The two countries have enough powerful levers in this Europe to coerce or persuade smaller nations on the continent to sign up to EurCon: however, the UK, Poland, Czech and Slovak opt out, and Hungary later joins them. EurCon opts to use military force to compel the East European countries back into its orbit, bringing it on a collision course with the US, UK and Norway. The wild card is Russia, where a military putsch under the reactionary Marshal Kaminov has marginalised the elected president. Will the Russians come in against the Poles, and if so, will this lead to a nuclear escalation?
The storyline switches between Washington, Moscow and the battlefields of Europe, concentrating mainly on military and political conflict but with his usual secondary romance story, which is passable without getting steamy. The characters are sympathetically drawn without being overly deep, as befits a modern work of this genre, and as with every good author Bond portrays bravery and intelligence among the bad guys as well as the good. Only the French elite come somewhat close to parody, but even then there is a surprising denouement. As usual there is a very useful glossary of military and political terms and acronyms at the back of the book.
At the time this story was written, it might have seemed alarmism or, worse still, the hankerer of a Cold Warrior for a new battlefield. However, carefully read it does illustrate the belief that extreme nationalism, trade protectionism and disinterest in one's neighbours do lead to the sort of world portrayed, where economies stagnate to the point of hardship and people become desperate enough to look for other means of greatness or simply survival. Such policies are advocated even today, not only in Europe but in North America, and trade conferences are still somewhat bad-tempered affairs. With the transfer of jobs, including hi-tech jobs, to places such as India and China, the word globalisation still causes unease or even fear in many ordinary people, and hardship for some. On the other hand, the political landscape since Cauldron was written has been more peaceful. Russia has managed to maintain at least a nominal form of democracy, while NATO has remained intact (if somewhat fractious) and the EC has not only survived but managed to grow to include many of the Eastern European countries in a trade bloc rather than a hegemony. Nevertheless Cauldron remains an enjoyable and interesting thriller, as well as a warning of what can go wrong with civilised nations.
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