Sasha Polakow-Suransky's 'The Unspoken Alliance' reveals the secret military relationship between Israel and apartheid South Africa, two pariah states that found in each other essential support during their years of international isolation. Based on declassified documents and interviews with participants on both sides, the book traces how the relationship developed from arms sales in the 1970s to alleged nuclear cooperation in the 1980s. Polakow-Suransky, himself the son of South African Jews who opposed apartheid, examines how Israeli officials justified collaboration with a racist regime while maintaining their country's self-image as a progressive democracy. The book reveals the moral compromises made when security imperatives override ethical concerns, as Israeli leaders convinced themselves that South Africa's internal policies were separate from mutually beneficial military cooperation. Polakow-Suransky also traces how the relationship's exposure affected Israeli politics and international standing. The book raises uncomfortable questions about how states rationalize alliances with unsavory partners and what moral costs such pragmatism exacts. Readers interested in Cold War history, Middle Eastern politics, or the ethics of international relations will find a carefully documented study of a chapter both countries would prefer to forget.