The world needs all of their ability. While the Bug War forced Earth to unite, it didn t alleviate the pressures and problems, but merely tied down the relief valve on the pressure cooker. Now that the war is over, the alliance has fractured, war is coming and the likely winners are the great powers, Communist China and Authoritarian Russia. Peter and Bean are trying to create an effective opposition that will spare Earth centuries of war and tyranny. Card has written an interesting book that suffers from being a middle book in a series.
Card does make good use of space.
Parts of it read like Tom Clancy, while others read like Ian Fleming or John LeCarre. The book reads quickly and is well worth the time invested. Knowing the ending forces you to pay attention to the details of the story, because the end has been revealed in the original series. It's the means and motive that Shadow of the Hegemon illuminates.