Book Review : Prisoners of Geography by Tim Marshall
Prisoners of Geography by Tim MarshallMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
A well written thoughtful and erudite book. Tim Marshall takes 10 geographical regions : Russia; China USA; Western Europe; Africa; The Middle East; India & Pakistan; Korea & Japan; Latin America; The Arctic; and describes in very broad terms their history and geography so we can try to make sense, in geopolitical terms, of the way we see them now. He also tries to project what we may possibly expect in the future .
For me personally I found it to be a refreshing and fascinating new way of thinking when trying to understand world history and “why the way things are” today.
Book Synopsis
‘Official’ Book Description
All leaders are constrained by geography. Their choices are limited by mountains, rivers, seas and concrete. Yes, to follow world events you need to understand people, ideas and movements – but if you don’t know geography, you’ll never have the full picture.
If you’ve ever wondered why Putin is so obsessed with Crimea, why the USA was destined to become a global superpower, or why China’s power base continues to expand ever outwards, the answers are all here.
In ten chapters (covering Russia; China; the USA; Latin America; the Middle East; Africa; India and Pakistan; Europe; Japan and Korea; and the Arctic), using maps, essays and occasionally the personal experiences of the widely travelled author, Prisoners of Geography looks at the past, present and future to offer an essential insight into one of the major factors that determines world history.
It’s time to put the ‘geo’ back into geopolitics
