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商品描述<內容簡介> 十張地圖，一次瞭解！ 全世界所有的國家與領導者都受限於地理位置，他們被山川、海洋、河流所禁錮。 如果你曾經好奇，為何普丁對於克里米亞如此癡迷、為何美國註定成為全球性超級大國、為何中國的權力基礎不斷地向外擴張，在這本書中你將會找到答案！ 在本書所匯集的十個章節中(俄羅斯、中國、美國、拉丁美洲、中東、非洲、印度和巴基斯坦、歐洲、日本和韓國、北極)，作者透過地圖、散文和廣泛的遊歷與個人經驗，帶你一一了解這十個全球矚目的焦點地區的過去、現在與未來的局勢是如何變化。 <作者介紹> 提姆‧馬歇爾Tim Marshall 姓名：提姆‧馬歇爾Tim Marshall 譯者 姓名：威治 俄羅斯幅員廣闊，是世界上面積最大的國家，讓人感覺國土無邊無際。總面積六百萬平方英里，橫跨全球十一個時區。 俄羅斯的森林湖泊、河流凍土、廣大草原、針葉林帶與山脈，全都遼闊無邊。俄羅斯之大，早就深入人們的集體意識中。不管我們在哪裡，俄羅斯就在那裡，我們往東南西北望去，就是俄羅斯領土所及之處，也是俄羅斯熊的棲居地。 熊是這個面積第一大國的象徵，這當然不是巧合。熊在那裡坐著，時而冬眠、時而嗥叫，看起來雄偉威嚴，卻兇猛殘忍。熊（bear）這個字本身就是俄語，但是俄羅斯人很怕用這個字來稱呼熊，因為害怕想起熊較為黑暗的一面。所以，他們用「medved」（俄語的熊）來稱呼，意指「喜歡蜂蜜的動物」。 目前，至少有十二萬隻俄羅斯熊居住在這個橫跨歐亞兩洲的國家。俄羅斯西邊是烏拉爾山脈（Ural Mountains），以歐陸俄羅斯（European Russia）稱之，東至西伯利亞，領土延伸到白令海（Bering Sea）與太平洋（Pacific Ocean）。即便到了二十一世紀，要跨越俄羅斯東西兩側，也要搭六天火車才能走完。俄羅斯領導人必須明白國土如此廣闊，風土民情差異之大，在制定政策時都要依此考量。幾世紀以來，俄羅斯領袖都深黯此道，他們懂得要全方位思考，只不過多半還是以西向發展為重。 作家們設法深入瞭解這隻大熊的思維時，通常會採用前英國首相溫斯頓．邱吉爾（Winston Churchill）在一九三九年對俄羅斯提出的這句名言：「那是謎中之謎，外裹一層極具奧秘的謎語。」不過，很少人繼續看完這句話，邱吉爾當時的結語是：「但是，或許有一把鑰匙能解開這個謎，而那把鑰匙就是國家利益。」七年後，邱吉爾就用那把鑰匙，解開這道謎語，他聲稱：「我確信俄羅斯人最崇拜力量，最瞧不起軟弱，尤其是軍事方面的不堪一擊。」 要是邱吉爾還在世，他一定會談到俄羅斯目前的領導階層雖然披上民主的外衣，骨子裡卻還是國家利益至上的獨裁主義。 當普丁沒在想上帝為什麼不讓俄羅斯西部有多一點山脈時，他就會想起比薩餅，因為俄羅斯的國土形狀就像一片比薩餅，像一把楔子。 地理环境对一个国家的影响超乎我们的想象。 地理环境不仅塑造了居民的生活方式、饮食习惯、兴趣爱好，而且对战争、政治、社会发展都有极其重大的影响。 举几个例子。比如说徽菜的特色是重油重盐，和地理距离不远的较为清淡少盐浙菜相去甚远，这是为什么呢？ 因为徽州地区是丘陵地形，地势起伏，很多耕田都在山坡上，所以对于农民来说，种地的时候频繁回家吃饭并不方便，而且在山坡上耕作非常消耗能量，所以一般一餐摄入大量油盐，以保证劳作时的能量供应和盐分补充。 这种丘陵地形就塑造了徽菜的雏形。 再比如说，我们都知道东北虎的体型要比华南虎的体型普遍大得多的原因是“伯格曼法则（Bergmann’s rule）”：同一物种，在越冷的地方，体型就越大，而且愈接近于球形。 这是因为寒冷的气候下，动物的体型越大，表面积与体积之比就越小，散热就越慢，保温效果更好，而球是同体积下表面积最小的形状。 但是你有没有注意到，为什么暹罗猫还有巴厘猫的耳朵还比俄罗斯蓝猫和挪威森林猫的耳朵要长呢？这就是基于伯格曼法则的推论“艾伦法则（Allen’s rule）”：寒带动物的身体轮廓变化都较为平缓。 所以说，地理环境不论是对人还是对动物，都有极大的影响，而英国著名国际关系专家蒂姆.马歇尔（Tim Marshall）的新书《地理的囚徒：十张地图解释世界格局（Prisoners of Geography: Ten Maps That Explains Everything About the World）》就用十张地图来解释了“为什么世界各国的格局是现在这个样子”。 详细解读 © 本文版权归作者 远读重洋 所有，任何形式转载请联系作者。 有关键情节透露
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Prisoners of
Geography: Ten Maps that Explain Everything about the World, Tim Marshall, 2015, 263 pp. This is actually a rather shallow, cursory look at geopolitics from a standard pro–U.S.-military, neoliberal viewpoint. The ten maps are just ordinary maps of ten areas, Russia, China, U.S., W. Europe, Africa, Mideast, S. Asia, Korea/Japan, Latin America, Arctic. The author’s claim, that natural corridors and natural barriers explain “everything,” is belied by the rise and fall of empires as plain This is actually a rather shallow, cursory look at geopolitics from a standard pro–U.S.-military, neoliberal viewpoint. The ten maps are just ordinary maps of ten areas, Russia, China, U.S., W. Europe, Africa, Mideast, S. Asia, Korea/Japan, Latin America, Arctic. The author’s claim, that natural corridors and natural barriers explain
“everything,” is belied by the rise and fall of empires as plains, mountains, seas and rivers stay put. Where I'm coming from: for example, Addicted to War: Why the U. S. Government Can't Kick Militarism by
Joel Andreas and Understanding Power: The Indispensable Chomsky by
Noam Chomsky. The author buys the idea that there are “national” interests—as distinct from the interests of particular centers of power. And that we “have to” respond militarily to perceived threats to our ability to project power everywhere, and to counter the threat of violence by locals. No awareness that U.S. military presence is a threat that provokes
violence. To the author, the world is a chessboard; control of fossil fuels a game. [e.g. pp. 60, 74] The unstated presumption is, what’s good for Exxon, United Fruit, Raytheon, is the U.S. national interest. Don’t ask who gains, who loses, by moving all production to lowest-wage countries. “Latin America lags far behind” economically. In part because they “got the politics wrong.” [pp. 216–217] He means some of them tried to resist total control by U.S. corporations—and that the U.S.
military, CIA, State Department, and corporate and financial sectors have all worked very hard to keep Latin America an exploited region without autonomy. For the truth, see Open Veins of Latin America: Five Centuries of the Pillage of a Continent, Eduardo Galeano, goodreads.com/book/show/187149.Open_V... To the author, “idiots” think the problems of the Middle
East are due to Israel. And that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is merely a “joint tragedy”—rather than, say, genocide, apartheid, theft of the country from the Palestinians by Israel. [p. 152] “The military is the real power in Egypt”—no mention that the U.S. provided that power. Much less in whose interest. [p. 167] On the Iran-Iraq war, no mention that the U.S. armed both sides. [p. 158] To this author, Mexico is a problem for America, supplying illegal labor and drugs. [p. 70]
No mention of U.S. “dumping” of government-subsidized agricultural commodities, destroying livelihoods of farmers all over the world. No suggestion that it’s U.S. drug law and enforcement that’s the problem causing suffering throughout the hemisphere. Some “facts” are suspect. None are sourced. The claim, “The greater Mississippi basin has more miles of navigable river than the rest of the world put together,” [p. 68] is questionable. But so is cia.gov/library/publications/resource... which shows Vietnam with more length of navigable waterways than the U.S., and whose world total is more than 3 times the sum of the countries’ totals. ...more
Once I read this true crime account of this serial killer and they didn’t find the bodies, I think they got him on dna, and so they ask him what did you do with the bodies. They were wondering what genius plan of disposal the guy had come up with to make ten corpses disappear without trace. And he says I cut em up and put them out with the trash. If I couldn’t get em in the bin I put em in black bags. They
just took em away, every Thursday morning. Well, you really shouldn’t laugh, but – Once I Well, you really shouldn’t laugh, but – Once I saw this programme, I can’t remember what, it’s hard to keep track what with this and that and the other, but they were talking about earthquakes and they showed this huge plain somewhere, like Iran I think, and there was a little river in the middle, and so that was the only place there was a village, everywhere else on this plain was
deserted. So when the earthquake hit, it crushed the village and killed everyone there. Because of course the river was the fault line. So the only place the people could live was on the fault line. This is to show the complete fucked-up-ness of the human condition. This book goes into some considerable detail about this fuckedupness. As for instance Africa. You hear a lot about the legacy of slavery and colonialism but hah, that ain’t it. It’s harbours and rivers is your problem.
Africa has got a lot of famous long rivers but they don’t join up and so you can’t sail your goods down them because every 20 miles there’s a waterfall. Very pretty but it puts the kibosh on trade. Then below the Sahara you have the tsetse fly which bites any animal you might think of as a beast of burden, like donkeys or bullocks or zebras for all I know, so they go down and die and there’s your trade gone down with them. As for the coast, it’s smooth not jagged, and that’s really a bad thing
because that means hardly any natural harbours, so that means no sea trade either. This is solid stuff but not so solid when other countries are examined like Russia. Because then we are straying from geography and getting into the United States of Paranoia which is the real name of Russia, according to Tim Marshall. It’s mental geography he is now talking about. There is a North European Plain which has been the route from Europe into Russia since time began and the guy in the Kremlin is
obsessed with not being invaded via this plain. And this explains the Russian buffer state thing, they have to have their buffer states or they get really frazzled. So - you're ahead of me - this in turn explains the current hoohah in Ukraine, and the previous switcheroo in Crimea. This latter has a warm water port and this may not mean much to you personally, but that’s because your ships aren’t frozen up in Murmansk for 8 months of the year. You can’t do nothing with cold water ports, you need
a warm water one. All of the vastness of Russia and they don’t have a single one (ah geography), except now they do. In Europe we had WW2 and the message Europeans took from that is that was the last one, no more European wars – which has almost but not quote been true for 75 years. The Russians see that as a blip. An uncharacteristic, suspicious blip. This geography thing gets a bit repetitive – plains, mountains, rivers, plainsmountainsrivers, portsportsports, and when he gets to
The Middle East (he asks the first 2 questions : Middle of what? East of what? to point out how ingrained is the eurocentricity of our western brains and maps) he is reduced to saying they all hate each other! You wouldn’t believe! which he has some strong data to back this up, like all of the current horror show from Morocco to Waziristan. But again, not really geography, this is psychohistory. Leonard Cohen wrote a song about the entire and increasing fuckedupness of the world
called "The Future" : Gimme back the Berlin wall, gimme Stalin and St Paul, I’ve seen the future, brother, it is murder. That is the theme song for this book, which is hard to rate because it allows for no chink of hope to get through. The message is : there will be more of the same, but it will be different enough for you not to get bored. So, for instance, beheading videos – you have to admit that was old (13th century) but new (on Twitter). I must stop trying to
understand the human race. It passeth all understanding.
Several disclaimers: Holy god has anyone ever written such a pile of incomprehensibly written, self contradictory, and wrong headed nonsense? Cribbing liberally from his dogeared volume Military History for Complete Dummies, Marshall reiterates the absolute worst ideas the Geographic Determinism
arguments of the early 20th century and pretends that they are his very own profound truths about the human condition, rather than entirely discredited theories (and profoundly and inescapably racist ones at that). Aside from his apparently not knowing what half the ideas he stole from Halford MacKinder were supposed to explain, he falls into every trap that Ratzel and Semple sidestepped, and incredibly makes the entirely execrable
Jared Diamond look like a thoughtful scholar by comparison. To put this volume into a geographer's perspective, imagine a chemist finding a book explaining a new and amazing theory of fire (the secret is phlogiston). I am on page 14 and have already filled the margins of the book with enough notes to crash Goodreads if I included them, so let's just reduce my
critiques to the essentials. I fear for humanity Dissenting opinions cheerfully entertained in the comments. Be warned, I do respond.
Yeah, well, it took me some time to finally and officially finished cause I stopped reading for couple months. Anyway, before I get into it, I have to say that I did enjoy
this, just to make that clear. Because sometimes I feel like I have more to say about the aspects which were not great in my opinion and I forget to speak about the things that I actually enjoyed. I've always enjoyed geography, and always stared at maps for way too long. The only game I use on my phone is a geography game when
Anyway, before I get into it, I have to say that I did enjoy this, just to make that clear. Because sometimes I feel like I have more to say about the aspects which were not great in my opinion and I forget to speak about the things that I actually enjoyed. I've always enjoyed geography, and always stared at maps for way too long. The only game I use on my phone is a geography game when it gives you country/city in the world and you have to locate it on a blind map. So, of course this
book was something I had to buy. That would be really awesome; however, I can understand that
it may have not been possible in a book which has some odd 300 pages. I'll have to edit this review later on, cause I marked several quotes from the book I wanted to add here; however, I already lend the book to a friend. So, later. I really liked the separation of the book; however, I would enjoy if it was more... logical in a way? It went from Russia to China than the USA, then Europe and then in a couple of chapters
it went back to Pakistan and India and later to Korea and Japan and then it jumped to Latin America again. I believe that the flow would be better if there were more sense and order in how the chapters followed each other. And with finishing reading the chapter on Africa I also realised another issue. The author had a tendency to introduce ideas he did not mention until then. Which is a shame because those seemed to be the most interesting thoughts. What I do not understand why there was a chapter on Western Europe which spend like two or three pages on the topic of Greece. Either it should have been Europe chapter or European
Union chapter. Probably the former. Also, where is Australia and New Zealand? Is one chapter missing? The author did acknowledge that he did not write on Australia or Canada and Indonesia. However, I have to say I do not feel like the book reached its limit. 300 pages is not that many and the glaring lack of the whole continent is just strange.
Outstanding! Wanting to compose a 20 paragraph reaction, at least that long upon each one of the 10 world "entities" that this book is divided into! (Not always a continent, but sometimes that nomenclature relates.) Well, I will not. Because Marshall's concise and succinctly factual is beyond my superlatives OR my summation of it, could
ever be. But possibly I could make one comparison. In my youth, when exact structures of observance w Wanting to compose a 20 paragraph reaction, at least that long upon each one of the 10 world "entities" that this book is divided into! (Not always a continent, but sometimes that nomenclature relates.) Well, I will not. Because Marshall's concise and
succinctly factual is beyond my superlatives OR my summation of it, could ever be. But possibly I could make one comparison. In my youth, when exact structures of observance were taught and charted- the biological body (human or animal, or plant) was learned to naming of touch and recognition by seeing, measuring, or handling within feel of topography or dissection. Thus the first lesson, most often became accompanied by the intense mantra "Structure is for Function". Comparing this
geographical analysis of forms for function for each of these 10 regions of the Earth! If you have isolation upon 3 fronts, no coastline, or a coastline with no harbors or faced with immense cliffs (actually this is no coastline at all)? Or if your weather harbors ever living insect viability, or human occupation for 15 thousand millennia? Some
sections I read twice. And to be completely truthful, I still do not understand some aspects of what the repercussions have evolved within the topography of Africa. I do know that I'm buying this one. And that I will get the next book for the regions he has not been able to complete in this one. He states it will be out soon. This one is for the main 10 regions of divisions in geography today: Russia, China, United States, Western Europe, Africa, The Middle East, India &
Pakistan, Korea & Japan, Latin America, and lastly The Artic. If you have learned your history and politico from the stance of administration ideologies, religion, colonialism or any whole piece belief system of division or operations, you need to read this book. Because the mountain ranges, rivers, deserts, oceans will alter, change. Over great periods of time, they will. But not all that much. And structure still insists functions and outcomes in majority. Great majority
proportionally. And with use of the Artic, Space and other huge changes that will occur- you will always have the human geographic restraints of your human location. This book is surprisingly current on top of it. It even has the proposed Strait of Nicaragua- which if funding by China continues, should be finished by the end of 2020. Highest recommendation by me in non-fiction category for this year, 2016. So far- and I doubt it will be beat. Read Russia and the Middle East
alone if that is your tolerance level.
The premise of this book is interesting - that much of international politics is about geography. Country A doesn't go to war with country B because there is a range of mountains between them. Country C enjoys a
strong trading economy because it has access to the sea. And so it goes. Most people reading it will probably get one or two "aha" moments when the book gives them an insight they hadn't had before. It's a good point well made. About a quarter of the way through the book I was really enjo Most people reading it will probably get one or two "aha" moments when the book gives them an insight they hadn't had before. It's a good point well made. About a quarter of the way through the book I was really enjoying it. Then we start to run into problems. They aren't disastrous. This book is still worth reading. But it's not quite as good as
it could be. The main problem is that the book is one long dry lecture. We get nothing but the author speaking for page after page. He clearly knows what he is talking about, but it really needs to be broken up with some more maps, quotes from someone else, anecdotes, graphs. At times this book feels like a college lecture where a highly qualified professor drones on and on for hours. You know that what he is saying is good. You can tell he is an expert. But you long for something to break
up the monotony of an uninterrupted monologue. The main thesis doesn't always work. Some of the sections are less about geography and more about people. Messy, organic, unpredictable people. So yes all countries to seem to be prisoners of their geography. In part. But they are also prisoners of their history and the decisions made by individuals. It's not all about mountains, rivers and access to the sea. And you do not make a good book solely by allowing an expert to drone
on and on in lecture-theatre style. Recommended - ish. There is lots of good stuff in here, even if it can be quite dull and the main thesis doesn't entirely work every time.
Tim Marshall (wiki: 'British journalist, author and broadcaster, specialising in foreign affairs and international diplomacy') uses ten maps as the focus of ten chapters not only looking at the relevant geo-politics but also
heavy underlining the geographical constraints, history and Climate Change ramifications in regards to Russia, China, USA, Western Europe, Africa, the Middle East, India and Pakistan, Korea and Japan, Latin America and the Artic. It's a truly riveting and highly informative Tim Marshall (wiki: 'British journalist, author and broadcaster, specialising in foreign affairs and international diplomacy') uses ten maps as the focus of ten chapters not only
looking at the relevant geo-politics but also heavy underlining the geographical constraints, history and Climate Change ramifications in regards to Russia, China, USA, Western Europe, Africa, the Middle East, India and Pakistan, Korea and Japan, Latin America and the Artic. It's a truly riveting and highly informative read. The most shocking thing reading this in March 2022, is that almost the entire chapter on Russia is a warning about Putin's (and geography's) problem with
Ukraine!
This is an amazing journey through the world, zooming out of particular localities and looking at the geographical shape of bigger areas that helped form the history, culture and population of the world we share. I read the
first chapters on Russia, China, Europe, USA and Africa constantly nodding my head, realising that it was possible to explain many things I had thought about for long hours by analysing natural borders, rivers, mountains, vegetation, climate and distribution of agricultural o I read the first chapters on Russia, China, Europe, USA and Africa constantly nodding my head, realising that it was possible to explain many things I had thought about for long hours by analysing natural borders, rivers, mountains, vegetation, climate and distribution of agricultural opportunities. I had the feeling that my historical knowledge became deeper, and more nuanced by adding the dimension of geography. My recent reflections on Chinua Achebe were put into the context of the vast African continent and its geography. The story of I Am Malala: The Story of the Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban gained width and depth through my intense staring at the map of the borders between Pakistan, India and Afghanistan, and I learned a great deal from the historical references to that region. Then I embarked on the chapter about South America, a continent I hardly know, and was plunged into a strong childhood memory, all of a sudden, without any warning. Reading about Brazil and its complicated connections to other countries, comparing it to Argentina with its access to the Atlantic through the Rio De La Plata, I found myself repeatedly humming a song by a Swedish sailor-poet-songwriter called Evert Taube. My father used to sing his songs to me when I was little, and I still know them by heart, but I have never thought of them in terms of global geography. However, this lovely love song between a Swedish sailor and a young girl called Carmencita from Samborombom, in the Rio De La Plata area, shows exactly what this nonfiction book on geography explains in plain facts: some areas are more accessible, and enhance global communication, while others are more remote, and thus stay isolated, culturally and technologically. The Swedish sailor in the song meets the exotic young lady because his ship has access to her country, but when he wants to marry her, she refuses, telling him her father has received an offer, and she will marry a local man who owns 20,000 cows. Fritjof has to sail home again, his (doubtful) virtues and wonderful tango skills are not enough! Samborombon, en liten by förutan gata, Fully aware that Swedish is not a global language, I still feel I have to copy these Evert Taube lines here, because they connected me to the big, wide world when I was a child, and now made me appreciate the accuracy of the historical impact of geography on a much more personal level. I was coming to the end of the book at this point, and Evert Taube brought it to my attention that I had actually not read anything about Scandinavia's geography yet. This is a region I consider my own, and I can't emphasise enough how astonished I was to realise that it is mentioned, at the very end, not in the chapter on Europe, or in the context of the Western Hemisphere, but as part of the ARCTIC. I had to spend a lot of time meditating on the map showing my home town well within the area circling the arctic, and reflecting on what it possibly meant to me. Also, contrary to Swedish wisdom (beware, this might be irony imported from the continent!), Norway was in the focus of the Scandinavian chapter. How could that be? I thoroughly enjoyed my own confusion at having my geography skills put into perspective like that. One last thing, before I recommend this book to anyone interested in the overarching connections between history and geography: I don't like the subtitle at all and it almost put me off trying the book! Ten Maps That tell You Everything.... That made me think it must be one of those books pretending to explain the world to you in a short, poorly written bestseller style. Ten recipes that make you lose weight in two days... Ten tricks to save money when shopping... This book does NOT tell you everything, and that is good, but it gives you insight into an aspect of global developments that enhances your previous knowledge and makes you curious to learn more! Read! Despite subtitle! (And my overuse of exclamation marks!)! ...more
Overall an interesting read, but little new information for anyone with more than just a passing interest in history or (geo-)politics. There is too much ''America is awesome'' and too little actual in depth information. Furthermore, the title is somewhat misleading. I had the impression that there would be ten actual maps, ones that you don't see or use very often to define your view of the world, but could be considered important nonetheless. Rather, the author just uses the generic maps that Overall an interesting read, but little new information for anyone with more than just a passing interest in history or (geo-)politics. There is too much ''America is awesome'' and too little actual in depth information. Furthermore, the title is somewhat misleading. I had the impression that there would be ten actual maps, ones that you don't see or use very often to define your view of the world, but could be considered important nonetheless. Rather, the author just uses the generic maps that exist of the world's major continents and regions. Concluding, it's worth a read if you need a primer on the back story behind current geopolitics and you want to have something more to tell your friends at the bar than ''those Russians/Chinese/Americans/Islamists are just modern imperialists!''. If you are looking for something more in-depth, look further. ...more
"Geography will determine the future..." Tim Marshall's Prisoners Of Geography is an interesting and informative short book about what happened (history), the current scenario and some inputs about how the future
could be. All these are from the perspective of the geographic conditions. As the author mentioned in the book, if our goal is to reach for the stars then instead of being Americans, Chinese, Russians or Indians, we should all move and go forward as representatives of humanity. Tim Marshall's Prisoners Of Geography is an interesting and informative short book about what happened (history),
the current scenario and some inputs about how the future could be. All these are from the perspective of the geographic conditions. As the author mentioned in the book, if our goal is to reach for the stars then instead of being Americans, Chinese, Russians or Indians, we should all move and go forward as representatives of humanity.
Have you ever thought what a complex world it is we live in? Why do some countries look to have it all whilst others seem destined to always struggle? Each country has its own history of rivalries and ancient disputes with neighbouring nations – where do these stem from? And what about the frequent border changes – why have these occurred and surely they’ve created additional tensions, haven’t they? I
have an old Reader’s Digest Great World Atlas (published in 1961) and a quick perusal of the pa Have you ever thought what a complex world it is we live in? Why do some countries look to have it all whilst others seem destined to always struggle? Each country has its own history of rivalries and ancient disputes with neighbouring nations – where do these stem from? And what about the frequent border changes – why have these occurred and surely
they’ve created additional tensions, haven’t they? I have an old Reader’s Digest Great World Atlas (published in 1961) and a quick perusal of the pages just covering Europe and the southern reaches of Africa is enough to tell me that many of the names therein have long ago been cast onto the geographical scrapheap. Well the good news is that this book provides the answers to these questions… and many more. Broken down into sections covering associated areas of the globe I first learnt how
natural geography handed out the lottery prizes. Much of Europe, for example, is blessed by having long rivers, some of which flow into each other, creating natural vessels for moving resources around and thus significantly aiding the establishment of trading routes. Africa, on the other hand, has big rivers but they are all frequently interrupted by large waterfalls and they don’t meet up with other rivers, therefore precluding their use for large scale movement of goods. Then there’s the
climate: again Africa draws the short straw (along with South America) with large areas providing a home for mosquitos which carry diseases such as Malaria and Yellow fever. And what about the land itself? Areas of Jungle, desert and high mountains have provided natural boundaries but also create problems for transporting goods and for travel. Yes, when you are born the natural lay of the land and climate will have predetermined – to an extent – how prosperous a country you will be born into. History provides the second set of answers. Some countries with natural resources of gas, oil and minerals have been able to utilise their good fortune to enrich their nation (though not necessarily the people who live there). Others have been plundered by aggressive predatory forces hell bent on helping themselves to the assets. Boundaries have been changed through occupation and particularly as a result of the World Wars. These changes were often made by lines being drawn on maps without
regard to ancient groupings based on tribal and religious backgrounds – the cause of many long standing disputes and conflicts can be traced back to these actions. The great thing about this book is that the way it is organised allows these elements to be presented in a logical, organised way that not only makes perfect sense but also allows the reader to understand much of the geopolitical bickering that goes on to this very day. It’s a brilliant book and it’s bang up to date. I’d urge
anyone interested in improving their knowledge of the big picture to grab a copy.
Marshall could have kept up the initial presentation and analysis throughout the book, but at some point the editors decided to shorten the pages and compress regions together. As a fellow reviewer says, "It is solid stuff, but after some time this geography thing gets a bit repetitive – plains, mountains, rivers, plainsmountainsrivers, portsportsports ..." Marshall could have kept up the initial presentation and analysis throughout the book, but at some point the editors decided to shorten the pages and compress regions together. As a fellow reviewer says, "It is solid stuff, but after some time this geography thing gets a bit repetitive – plains, mountains, rivers, plainsmountainsrivers, portsportsports ..." ...more
As if the assumed American exceptionalism that drips from these pages isn't enough, I believe the staggering amount of broad-stroke revisionism that underpins an endorsement of brutal imperial
practices (by a variety of nations) that spans the text is enough to incite guffaws in any sensible reader. The obsequiousness that permeates Marshal's references to American military hegemony is only matched by his entire omission of the damage that neoliberal austerity measures have done to the global so As if the assumed American exceptionalism that drips from these pages isn't enough, I believe the staggering amount of broad-stroke revisionism
that underpins an endorsement of brutal imperial practices (by a variety of nations) that spans the text is enough to incite guffaws in any sensible reader. The obsequiousness that permeates Marshal's references to American military hegemony is only matched by his entire omission of the damage that neoliberal austerity measures have done to the global south. From his perspective, the modern geopolitical landscape is an entirely natural manifestation of the geographical determinism that he
desperately fails to prove. Also, what is the point of having only one chapter of 10 bear internal chapter breaks? It's written no differently from the other chapters...who made this decision? Formatting 10% of the text in a manner disparate from the rest just feels sloppy. Skip this book. There are better ways to spend your time learning about geopolitics.
A useful and enjoyable book. It is a good aide memoire for those who are reasonably well read in history and current affairs or an easily accessible starter for those who are new to the areas. I learned some new things, notably on South America and within each section. I felt the geography was under done and could have been explored further but I assume for space and target audience this is the right
spot. Mr Marshall writes much of the historic aspects on the formation, rivalries and areas of ea I learned some new things, notably on South America and within each section. I felt the geography was under done and could have been explored further but I
assume for space and target audience this is the right spot. Mr Marshall writes much of the historic aspects on the formation, rivalries and areas of each focus area (these divided into chapters) and the brings us up to date (my version was a 2019 reissue). Naturally then it does not included Covid, Russia's invasion of Ukraine and other events such as the spat between Australia and China in late 2018, Biden's election, Bolivia's (re)election of Morales, the AUKUS deal, the Taliban in
Afghanistan and the growth of cyber attacks and how that has impacted civil infrastructure as let alone elections in some areas. China looms large in the book now having interests in all parts of the world notably with its Belt and Road initiative and of course territorial claims on Taiwan. There were some other interesting countries who have claims on islands or areas, which I was unaware of. Technology also plays a part in the book but again I felt the Suez and Panama canals were not
discussed enough in the context of trade and power projection, much like aircraft carriers, nuclear submarines and jet aircraft; likewise tourism and how this impacted nations incomes and indeed cultures and changes to national character; here again how has geography affected trade and for example global branding - Nike, Coca Cola, Apple, McDonalds and Tesla for example. I felt religion and culture could have played more a part in the overall narrative, notably radical Islam. This is
debated in the Africa and Middle East chapters but could be more detailed especially in Asia and Europe. The maps were sufficient but in my paperback were black and white. I imagine the hardback version would be blessed with colour. Overall a solid three stars.
What an unfocused mess of a book. I would have considered 2 stars if the book was instead named "Military policy in Ten Regions of the World - where I will sometimes cherry pick convenient geographic features that reinforces my ill defined thesis and I will pretend that the last 30 years explains all of human history - and sometimes I will even try my hand at economic policy, with limited success." What an unfocused mess of a book. I would have considered 2 stars if the book was instead named "Military policy in Ten Regions of the World - where I will sometimes cherry pick convenient geographic features that reinforces my ill defined thesis and I will pretend that the last 30 years explains all of human history - and sometimes I will even try my hand at economic policy, with limited success." ...more
Prisoners of Geography – A Much needed lesson As someone whose family has been victims of the Geography of where they lived and who they were in an often much forgotten episode
of the Second World War. People forget that when the Nazis invaded Poland in 1939 their allies Russia invaded Poland on the 17th September 1939. My great-Grandmother was ‘exiled’ to Siberia because her son was fighting for the enemy (the Polish Government) and her husband was an officer in the Polish Police. My Grandfather As someone whose family has been victims of the Geography of where they
lived and who they were in an often much forgotten episode of the Second World War. People forget that when the Nazis invaded Poland in 1939 their allies Russia invaded Poland on the 17th September 1939. My great-Grandmother was ‘exiled’ to Siberia because her son was fighting for the enemy (the Polish Government) and her husband was an officer in the Polish Police. My Grandfather escaped a Nazi POW camp made his way to France and after its fall to the UK. My great-Grandfather was never heard of
again, and members of my family perished at Katyn, when my great-Grandmother was released in 1946 from Siberia, she could not go home, as her home was in the Stalin creation of Western Ukraine and was ‘moved’ to Krakow. Many Eastern European Governments did not speak out when Russia moved in to the Crimea region whereas Western Leaders could not help themselves but make comments. Why the difference? Partly geography and mainly history, Crimea had been Russian until 1964 when Khrushchev
gave Crimea to Ukraine, oh and Khrushchev was a Ukrainian. What we have not heard is a lot about Russia’s interference in Eastern Ukraine which Eastern Europe is very concerned about. Tim Marshall’s excellent book Prisoners of Geography which examines ten maps of the world and then given a concise geopolitical history of that region. You will find out why Russian is concerned about Europe’s eastern border countries, and why it sees Poland as the gateway to the Russian plains as well as the
European plains, and feels pretty secure with its other borders. There is also an excellent examination on why China has finally come from behind the bamboo curtain and playing an active part with investments across the Asiatic content. That they are not afraid to sabre rattle amongst the USA naval fleet when it sails too close to China. We also get examinations of the Middle East, which is very apt, with some excellent analysis which some of our political leaders could do with and
understanding before making crass statements on what is happening there. In the chapter that covers the Middle East the reader is reminded very much of the artificial borders that were drawn up by the Sykes-Picot Agreement in May 1916, a secret agreement that was concluded by two British and French diplomats. The Sykes-Picot Agreement involved itself with the partition of the Ottoman Empire once World War One had ended. The consequences of which are still reverberating throughout the Middle East
and people wonder why the British are not trusted by countries such as Iran. There are also excellent chapters that cover Africa, Korea and Japan, the United States as well as the southern Americas. One could go forensically through all the chapters and set them out here but the reader needs to engage this book. What Tim Marshall gives the reader is an excellent lesson and reminders that geography influences political decisions, strategic decisions of governments and the attitudes of
the people. This book also can open one’s eyes to the fact that geography gives context to political and historical events such as revolutions or various embargos that happen across the globe. This is an excellent book which students of geography, history and politics should be required to read and those not so bright people that get elected to Parliaments need to read. This book puts a lot of recent and historical events in to context and understanding that context is so important. Buy
this book, borrow this book and give this book it is too important to remain on the shelves getting dusty.
What a great read, this was such an interesting topic, well explained and clear . I highly recommend this book to any lover of geopolitical issues and whoever wants to get a glimpse on how the foreseeable future might play out . If you love maps and history this book is for you!
The title of this book is less an
indication of content than it is a simple structuring device; an organizational tool used by the author to set his margins decisively enough to free his mind for the text to come. While he does supply ten (plus) maps of the regions of our world, he will not be poring over them with us. Instead, he unleashes his extraordinary grasp of geopolitics in as clean, as direct, and as powerful a manner as we have any right to expect - and it is a richly illuminating jour
The title of this book is less an indication of content than it is a simple structuring device; an organizational tool used by the author to set his margins decisively enough to free his mind for the text to come. While he does supply ten (plus) maps of the regions of our world, he will not be poring over them with us. Instead, he unleashes his extraordinary grasp of geopolitics in as clean, as direct, and as powerful a manner as we have any right to
expect - and it is a richly illuminating journey, the likes of which anyone who's had a favorite teacher will remember all too well. Geopolitics is, of course, the politics of our geography. The location of a nation plays a large role in how that nation behaves; the goals it sets, its fears, its needs, its dedicated trajectory on the world stage. A fearsome mountain range, for example, will provide protection from unannounced invasion - yet may also limit trading options and access to needed
resources. An immense waterway opens up a number of entrepreneurial possibilities, until the neighboring countries who share it decide they might like to build a dam. Many of the major conflicts in history have had, at their root, a geographical component. (They don't call Afghanistan "the graveyard of empires" just because it sounds good.) Tim Marshall takes us continent-hopping through these and many more of the whys and wherefores of our respective geopolitical destinies. I recommend
this work highly to anyone interested in foreign policy and/or climate change. Those two issues are about to converge in some fairly serious ways, and the solid foundation this book provides will make navigating these topics much easier. Plus, it was a blast to read. Enjoyment from start to finish.
A very interesting overview of global geopolitics and the geography that informs it. By
splitting the world into distinct regions Marshall allows for the isolation of particularly important geographical features, such as the North European Plain on Russian politics, and the lack of navigable rivers hampering internal development in Africa. The author is clearly authoritative and even includes a few personal anecdotes with foreign ministers when making points. This being my first book on the subj A very interesting overview of global
geopolitics and the geography that informs it. By splitting the world into distinct regions Marshall allows for the isolation of particularly important geographical features, such as the North European Plain on Russian politics, and the lack of navigable rivers hampering internal development in Africa. The author is clearly authoritative and even includes a few personal anecdotes with foreign ministers when making points. This being my first book on the subject I'm unable to review how accurate
his take on the subject is, however I found every chapter entirely plausible. It has already shaped my perception of events happening in the news - for example Russia's strategy in Eastern Europe and the Caucasus being played out via its relationship with the USA and Turkey over the Syrian conflict.
Why are nations either rich and lucky or poor and struggling? This fascinating book explains all Why we need mountains, and deserts, and rivers, and jungles Why we need mountains, and deserts, and rivers, and jungles Blame our great-grandparents for the international disputes (wars for the non-pc) How China will absorb Tibet What Africa really needs is . . . Geography has formed our modern politics - which is why we should have studied more of geography in school instead of striving to be the top sportsman Enjoy! ...more
UPDATE: So finally got this out of the library again (had a LONG waiting list, which I take as a good sign),
and not only read those bits I hadn't gotten to before, but reread some of the more interesting/relevant chapters, (China/Russia/Africa). Only additional comments are that China's plans for a $50 billion "Nicaragua Grand Canal" aimed at replacing the Panama Canal by "the early 2020s" has since been scrapped (thank God); and Britain - which at the time of the book's writing had no active a UPDATE: So finally got this out of the library again
(had a LONG waiting list, which I take as a good sign), and not only read those bits I hadn't gotten to before, but reread some of the more interesting/relevant chapters, (China/Russia/Africa). Only additional comments are that China's plans for a $50 billion "Nicaragua Grand Canal" aimed at replacing the Panama Canal by "the early 2020s" has since been scrapped (thank God); and Britain - which at the time of the book's writing had no active aircraft carriers with which to defend the Falklands -
now has two "Queen Elizabeth class" carriers, commissioned in 2017 and 2019. It was only during this second reading that I realized that three of the world's key trouble spots are the direct results of WWII, even though they have little to do with Europe: the Pakistan/India split, the North/South Korea split and the division of China and Taiwan. So while the war was ultimately "good" (if one can use such a word) for Europe and the U.S...maybe not so much for East and South Asia :( Otherwise,
my two main takeaways are that China still remains a major - and increasingly aggressive - threat, (and unfortunately, the book's claim that "the Chinese are determined to have Taiwan but are nowhere near being able to challenge for it militarily" might not still be true); and King Leopold II of Belgium remains the ultimate colonial asshole, par excellence. ORIGINAL REVIEW: Just fantastic - this is a book I've really been waiting for. I've long bemoaned the fact
that we no longer emphasize geography in our schools - since as this book proves, a knowledge of geography is essential to even the most basic understanding of history. I mean, the word "geopolitical" literally means the confluence of geography and politics. Want to understand why Russia invaded the Ukraine, why China is harassing its Uighurs in Xinjiang, or why the Middle East will never get its shit together? Well…I won't tell you here, because you should read this for yourself.
Marshall's subtitle - "ten maps that explain everything about the world" - might sound like braggadocious hype, but for the most part he lives up to his claim. Unfortunately, while this book was written in just 2015, it is already outdated in several areas. Because geography doesn't work in a vacuum, the unexpected rise of such dangerous buffoons as Donald Trump and Boris Johnson have not only thrown the West's moral, military and economic leadership into question, they have (among SO
MANY other things) breathed new life into a dying Russia and allowed China to gain the upper hand across East Asia. Good as it is, this book is a lot to take at once, so while I've already finished the sections on Russia, China, North America, Africa and the Middle East, I'm going to take a break before returning to tackle the remaining chapters on Latin America, Korea and Japan, India and Pakistan, and - intriguingly - the Arctic. NOTE: And in one of those odd bits of
synchronicity I love so much, the Washington Post has just reviewed a new book, ORIGINS: How Earth's History Shaped Human History, which not only links directly to this book (almost as a preface, as it deals with much more pre-history than Prisoners does), but also oddly to the last book I finished, Michael Summers & James Trefil's Exoplanets. So guess I should add this one to the list as well...
"Geography has always been a prison of sorts-one that defines what a nation is or can be, and one from which our world leaders have often struggled to break free" This book is a rather
grand introduction to geopolitics. It contains ten respectably shirt chapters and there are illustrations showing us the geo strategic realities for the different countries. This book is a rather grand introduction to geopolitics. It contains ten respectably shirt chapters and there are illustrations showing us the geo strategic realities for the different countries.
Recommended by geography teachers everywhere, this was an interesting introduction to the world of geopolitics... with a strong focus on military history.
“Prisoners of Geography” is brief (too brief in my opinion) but yet the book is a delightful and informative read. The intertwined story of human development, war and geography is coherently arranged and very interesting. It has a lot of maps - hooray! These pages reveal the occasional underlying rationality behind
why governments sometimes behave the way they do, as well as maybe some reasons why some countries are so impoverished while others have done very well financially. Politics and histor These
pages reveal the occasional underlying rationality behind why governments sometimes behave the way they do, as well as maybe some reasons why some countries are so impoverished while others have done very well financially. Politics and history are necessarily brought into each chapter because tribalism, colonialism, Manly-pride and war have had often more to do with a country’s development than rational or ‘best practices’ decision-making which took into account an area’s geography and
resources. Tribal affiliations, culture and technology still deeply affect how nations evolve, as well as accidents of history and growth patterns. The author does not do any judgmental analysis of any governments’ follies or weaknesses to predation by jealous or greedy neighboring countries, but gentle reader, you certainly will. The author includes general details which are enough to connect the dots of history and politics, but his primary focus is on how the presence of mountain
ranges, rivers, plains, climate, technology, flora, fauna and natural resources either nurtured or damaged the economic development of countries and/or its vulnerability to war. Mountains, swamps and deserts might cut off communities from each other, creating maybe a hundred local religions, languages and tribes living in disconnected small villages - or maybe the presence of navigable rivers or plains might have facilitated a common language, customs, trading, and later, national ambitions.
Climate, of course, is HUGE. Lots of rivers without waterfalls, that are also easily connected to other rivers, provide communities with low-cost connected shipping. Plains in temperate climate zones permit farming, and easy access of business travel and delivery of goods (and invading military troops), promoting the building of cities and industry (and envious neighbors who may have too many mountains, swamps, or deserts - a good case for using a mountain range as a protection barrier and
border, although that can be a deterrent to good relationships, too). Lovely ocean beaches are certainly places where one can relax, and if the underlying geology is amiable to the building of ports for deep-water shipping, a country has a major leg up for production and prosperity. Ports cannot be built very cheaply or easily in Africa, for example, despite its long ocean borders. Africa’s underlying beach geology does not support the building of ports, apparently. Africa also has a
myriad of other geological and geographical features which prohibit easy development of its resources, particularly in building infrastructure. Most of Africa’s rivers have too many waterfalls and many of them do not connect easily to other rivers. The Nile River drains through too many different countries who do not trust each other - with reason - which is a problem of politics and tribalism - not entirely a problem of geography and climate alone, obviously. In any case, tribalism, a past of
colonialism, and poor leadership are huge deterrents to building up modern production methods and safe communities in Africa. It is not only about its geology and its climate. Africa’s climate, btw, is wonderful for the development of one thing - malaria, one of the most long-term debilitating illnesses on earth. Frankly, I do not know if I should feel hopeful or despairing about Humanity’s ability to persevere in eking out meaning and a life with few comforts in an impoverished country
due to resource mismanagement, geographical location, and/or the greed of its elite class or its covetous warmongering neighboring nations. I do most certainly feel damn lucky I live in a country naturally endowed with many resources and thousands of miles of land, a comparatively small but not too small generally homogeneous population, a mostly temperate climate, with two oceans protecting two of the borders and friendly countries on the other two borders. Most of us complain daily
about what is wrong here in the United States, but we ignore the many things that are right. We are at peace here in the ‘homeland’ which actually contributes a great deal to our prosperity - more than most of us know. The shelves of our groceries and stores bend down under the weight of goods and food from all over the world (as well as what is manufactured here and distributed on our connected river-ways and road/train/airplane infrastructure) thanks to our high-tech deep-water ports and
shipping technology. We have about 5% unemployment year after year, generally, and minimal economic ‘safety nets’ (arguably insufficient and mismanaged as the ‘nets’ may be, especially in the area of supporting mental disabilities). An education is almost available to everyone (some preexisting and historically dramatic exceptions prevail in some neighborhoods because of racism). For most of us, we eat everyday under roofs protecting us from the worst of the mostly temperate climate, with clean
drinking water readily available, and most of us are inoculated (by antibiotics which require refrigeration, available everywhere here) from the many diseases which debilitate other nations. Most of us can read and write in the one mainstream language necessary for commerce and comfort here; we do not have to navigate the dozens, and even hundreds, of languages other countries do. Tribalism/religious-class stratification is not based on ethnicity or place of birth as much or as powerfully as in
other countries (imho, wealth is FAR-and-away a predictor in how respectfully or ‘fairly’ one is treated - of course, access to the organs of ‘wealth creation’ is another story in our recent history). Despite our complaints about access to the offices of officials and (mis)management of government agencies, in comparison to other countries, we are a paradise of function and process. We rank low on most corruption indexes. We are technologically well-endowed, and tech is available and widespread
throughout the country. Most of us flip switches every night to turn on heat and light, without worrying if the electrical company is enforcing a brownout, and our refrigerators keep our perishable food cold - no daily shopping at a live-animal/produce market required. I literally have not heard of anyone in the States who has to walk one or two, or even three, hours one way to a waterhole daily to scoop up two pails of water for the necessities of cooking, bathing and drinking, as I have read
what happens in many communities in Africa. And despite the ‘bad apples’ among them, most police officers and definitely most of our military service members, do not see us (ok, most of us, less true for minority communities) as prey, in comparison to Africa, Asia, the Middle East, South America and Russia. We are more able to move up and down in social class because class is based mostly on wealth, not so much on tribal or religious affiliation; and we have considerably less corruption and more
accountability of officials and legal organizations, comparably speaking. I have read elsewhere our type of government impedes any single political group from gaining monolithic authority while starving the creation of too many interest groups which might fragment the ability of government to govern. Of course, strengthening elements of identity politics as well as economic disparities are currently stressing the governance of America. Time will tell. Given some of the outcomes of
politics, history and geography described in this book, though, I am a little scared. Climate change could upend the uneasy balance of the political and economic divisions we have managed to power through in bad times historically. Having oceans on two borders and friendly neighboring countries acting as a buffer to hostile nations (having buffer nations surrounding it is Russia’s goto strategy - See Ukraine - as well as China) won’t be enough. Our primarily temperate climate, navigable rivers,
technologically-tamed mountains, and developed infrastructure and technological advances may be why the United States is still standing no matter what our internal and external political and social difficulties, but what if the deserts grow bigger, more dry and hotter? What if the water tables fall to nothing, and the rains fail to come? What if the fertile soils blow away, the friendly insects and local wildlife and flora die, and new disease-carrying flora and fauna invade a country, this
country, much more hospitable to them? ‘Prisoners of Geography’ has made me ever so much more aware of how much of what part of the Earth’s surface we are fortunate or unfortunate to be born on matters. I guess we will find out in fifty years or so how much a formerly favorable climate and geography helped our luck as a successful country. Governments often try to manipulate the perceptions and appearances of their actions and ambitions - but geography and resources are the hard
bedrock of all surface Realpolitik Truths which no government or military force can afford to ignore. Those governments who ignore geography and climate do so at risk of losing everything. The ten maps author Tim Marshall has included in this book: Russia There also is a Bibliography and an Index, as well as many gorgeous maps.
Note: I read this book in 2016, the year after it was published. Given current events, I decided to reread Chapter 1: Russia. Russia is vast, writes Marshall. It is the vastest.
Immense. It is six-million-square-miles vast, eleven time zones vast; it is the largest country in the world... To the west of the Ural Mountains is European Russia. To teir east is Siberia, stretching all the way to the Bering Sea and the Pacific Ocean. Even in the twenty-first century, to cross it by trains takes six days Russia is vast, writes Marshall. It is the vastest. Immense. It is six-million-square-miles vast, eleven time zones vast; it is the largest country in the world... To the west of the Ural Mountains is European Russia. To teir east is Siberia, stretching all the way to the Bering Sea and the Pacific Ocean. Even in the twenty-first century, to cross it by trains takes six days. You might think no one is going to invade Russia but that isn’t how the
Russians think, writes Marshall, beginning with Ivan the Terrible in 1533 on down to Vladimir Putin today. There is a lot of history to back that belief, including but not limited to the Mongols, Napoleon and both World Wars. When the USSR fell apart in 1989, it took only 15 years for all the former Warsaw Pact nations to join NATO and/or the EU, which made Russia all the more nervous. Geography is Russia’s biggest asset and its biggest liability, from the immense and immensely flat North
European Plain providing easy access to enemy tanks, to mountain ranges in all the wrong places. If only the Urals ran from the Baltic to the Black Sea. The want of a warm water port, too, also drives much of their long term strategic thinking and has since Peter the Great. Sevastopol is Russia’s only true major warm-water port. However, access out of the Black Sea into the Mediterranean is restricted by the Montreux Convention of 1936, which gave Turkey--now a NATO member–control of
the Bosporus. Russian naval ships do transit the strait, but in limited numbers, and this would not be permitted in the event of conflict. Even after crossing the Bosporus the Russians need to navigate the Aegean Sea before accessing the Mediterranean, and would still have either to cross the Strait of Gibraltar to gain access to the Atlantic Ocean, or be allowed down the Suez Canal to reach the Indian Ocean. Imagine if the US Navy had to navigate a labyrinth like that to access the
Pacific Ocean. Historically, every tsar from Ivan to Stalin has deliberately seeded their border regions with Russian citizens, which is why it was so easy for Putin to take Crimea and eastern Ukraine in 2014 and for the West to ignore his incursions. Approximately 60 percent of Crimea’s population is “ethnically Russian,” so the Kremlin was pushing against an open door. Putin helped the anti-Kiev demonstrations and stirred up so much trouble that eventually he “had” to send his
troops out of the confines of the naval base and onto the streets to protect people. It is evidently also why he thought Ukrainians would welcome him with open arms in 2022. I could keep typing excerpts but go find the book and read it for yourself. It explains how we got here, and, unfortunately, where we’re going if Putin isn’t stopped. Moldova presents a different problem for all sides. An attack on the country by Russia would necessitate crossing through
Ukraine…Although it might not trigger war with NATO (Moldova is not a member), it would provoke sanctions against Moscow at a level hitherto unseen [remember, this book was published seven years ago], and confirm what this writer believes to already be the case; that the cooling relationship between Russia and the West is already the New Cold War. Marshall concludes From the Grand Principality of Muscovy, through Peter the Great, Stalin, and now Putin, each Russian
leader has been confronted by the same problems. It doesn’t matter if the ideology of those in control is czarist, Communist or crony capitalist–the ports still freeze, and the North European Plain is still flat. Realpolitik through geography. Highly recommended. ------------- The
third chapter is about good old US, and it had not previously occurred to me that geography is why we are who we are. I mean, yeah, I understand about the insulating effect of being between two oceans, but Marshall says that if someone had sat down and drawn the perfect base for world domination, they would have come up with, you guessed it, US. Partly this is because of all that wonderful farmland but it's also partly because we're home to the world's longest navigable rivers, so we can get all
that grain to market. He lays out why the entire continent of Africa is becoming a Chinese colony, and the chapter on India and Pakistan is a pocket history of the region and it will not cheer you to learn that, again, geography dictates that nothing is resolved there anytime soon, or ever. One Indian politician is even on record as saying they ought to just nuke Pakistan and deal with the literal and figurative fallout so India can move on without the Pakistani thorn in their sides.
Jesus. Marshall is also amusingly shirty about the Arab Spring, which he pretty conclusively demonstrates was romanticized by Western writers into a transformative event that was no such thing on the ground. Marshall is a BBC journalist who knows how to get to the meat of the story in efficient, competent prose that still makes for an enthralling read. Not a needless word anywhere. Highly recommended.
Prisoners of Geography
All you need to do to enjoy this book is to ignore the title, the subtitle and the central tenet of the text.* Yep, as simple as that. Let me explain. Was Putin really forced to annex Crimea, as the book implies? Did
China have no other choice than to occupy Tibet? Of course not. There are always options, even if there are geopolitical arguments for or against certain actions. The 'prisoners of geography' rhetoric comes dangerously close to absolving the perpetrators of any blame, as their actio All you need to do to enjoy this book is to ignore the title, the subtitle and the central tenet of the text.* Yep, as simple as that. Let me explain. Was Putin really
forced to annex Crimea, as the book implies? Did China have no other choice than to occupy Tibet? Of course not. There are always options, even if there are geopolitical arguments for or against certain actions. The 'prisoners of geography' rhetoric comes dangerously close to absolving the perpetrators of any blame, as their actions were pre-determined by the mountains, rivers and seas – there was nothing they could do! So there goes the title. As for the fact that these ten maps tell you
everything you need to know about global politics, that's clearly not true either, as I suspect the author of the book very well knows. But I guess 'ten maps that can be pretty useful in understanding some aspects of what's going on in the world' wasn't quite as catchy. So much for the subtitle, then. To be fair, Marshall never says that geography is the most important factor in international politics. But his outlook is clearly (geo)deterministic and his intention is to restore the
rightful place of the geographical arguments in the debate. It's a pity he doesn't make a slightly more convincing attempt to acknowledge the other factors at play, as it would automatically negate a lot of criticism that can be hurled at the book. There is no shortage of examples of ideology, economy and technology overcoming the geographical factors. Marshall's book itself offers several good cases (I'm not even counting the Cold War), like Jerusalem: a city of no geographic strategic
importance, but one of the most important cities in the world nevertheless. Or let's take Daesh – while either helped or hindered by the local geography and shaped to a certain extent by the ethnic map of the Middle East, it was not born out of either of them. Explaining Daesh without bringing ideology and religion to the mix is impossible. Marshall has a great chapter on Africa, but again, it's not Africa's geography and demography per se that are causing trouble (or at least not only), it's
the geographic and ethnic realities in conjunction with the arbitrary national borders that were drawn ignoring those realities – as Marshall himself eloquently describes. Anyway, if you set all this aside and read the book as an examination of one important factor in the global Great Game, it's a really enjoyable, enlightening read. It offers ten relatively brief sketches of areas of geopolitical importance and/or tension, from Russia to the Middle East to India-Pakistan to the Arctic.
As a good journalist, Marshall makes these chapters easy to read, but filled with insight and detail. I would never have guessed that the second-largest military force in Africa (after Egypt) is in Ethiopia or realised on my own why Pakistan is so important for China (access to the sea). If you have in-depth knowledge of the regions covered, you might find the analysis too shallow. Then again, if you're a casual but curious observer of current affairs, the book will be illuminating. In a
world full of opinions, we rarely pause to consider the basic facts, often we don't even know them - where countries are, how many people they contain, what are the available natural resources, who are the neighbors and how's the weather. It's a special skill to write for those who are not foreign policy wonks, to edit a huge amount of info down to something digestible, engaging and informative. It was a fun ride and I feel smarter - not a bad result. My main complaint, in addition to the rant
above, is that the maps that are central to the book are not very functional and sometimes do not feature places mentioned in the text. It's annoying. But all-in-all, if you're interested in what and why is going on in the world, this is recommended reading. Just make sure it's not the only book you read on the topic. *Unless you are a die-hard prophet of geopolitics and love determinism. In that case, the solution is much simpler: ignore my review.
This introduction into global geopolitics is just fun to read (or in my case: fun to listen to): Of course the topic is so broad that we only get a cursory look and Marshall does not dwell on details, but this means that readers have a chance to see the bigger picture and grasp wider connections when it comes to international politics as influenced by geographic circumstances.
Have to say Tim Marshall has done an excellent job of this book and providing a relatively simple baseline for geopolitics, and
providing a plain English explanation for historical, and not so historical political decisions and the effects of geography related to these. Marshall says in his introduction, which is a good paragraph summary: Marshall says in his introduction, which is a good paragraph summary: Secondary to the physical geography explained here, are the natural resources within a country. These clearly also influence politics, given the world dependency on oil and gas. Couple this with natural geography suitable for a harbour, and access to shipping lanes and a more rounded picture is painted. First published in 2015,
the edition I have says it is a revised and updated edition, published 2016, but makes various references to events in 2017, so has obviously been quickly updated again. The only minor criticism I have is the subtitle (ten maps that tell you everything you need to know about global politics) - couldn't be farther from the truth - the maps are nothing special, just basic maps. The maps are nothing without the explanation that goes with it. Others have been critical about the
generality of the book, and lack of detail, but I think that misses the point - that the book is introductory, and aimed as a starting point for geopolitics, and I enjoyed that it was a quick easy read that didn't rely on me to think it all through for too long! There is apparently to be a second book covering the smaller nations, which I will keep an eye out for. 4 stars.
In his chapter on the Middle East, Marshall warns against taking a Eurocentric view of the world, yet his work is filled with generalisations and hypocrisies engendered by the very phenomenon he warns against. The most egregious example of the above is how he brushes over the genocide of the indigenous people of the Americas in a sentence, but later goes on to sympathise with the ageing "indigenous
Europeans" who have to deal with seeing headscarves in their streets. I don't want to go into too mu The most egregious example of the above is how he brushes over the genocide of the indigenous people of the Americas in a sentence,
but later goes on to sympathise with the ageing "indigenous Europeans" who have to deal with seeing headscarves in their streets. I don't want to go into too much detail, but a few other (random) things that annoyed me: Marshall practically gushes when reflecting on the British Empire and the Falklands War - "The British have a collective memory of greatness" - while he bluntly accuses the USSR of being the Russian Empire 2.0. He reveals himself to be a terrible orientalist;
the Middle East is a region to be "fixed" by Western powers. He calls the current situation a "sad reflection upon humanity" and attributes violence to "ancient hatreds". His assertion that (in addition to its material interests) the US is in the Middle East to promote liberal democracy is an insult to his readers' intelligence. In his discussion of the war in Syria, he lists all of the nations involved, but chooses to omit the US and Israel. He also obfuscates the war in Yemen, again
choosing not to mention US/UK involvement. Attempts to draw parallels 'Chinese colonialism' (developing infrastructure in Africa and Latin America) with the brutality of the US, UK and France. He does discuss Africa's colonial history, but leaves it at that - a phenomenon of the past. Marshall fails (like many others) to differentiate the nationalism of the colonisers and the colonised - in his mind, both are equally problematic. That's just a few off the top of my
head. His descriptions of geographical features and their strategic importance is genuinely fascinating, but the Western, pro-interventionist politics which permeate his writing make this a frustrating read. Although I've been dismayed with some of Noam Chomsky's recent stances, his Who Rules the World? largely discusses the same geographical regions, but provides more nuanced analyses than discussing how the West can gain the upper hand. Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name. Tim Marshall was Diplomatic Editor and foreign correspondent for Sky News. After thirty
years’ experience in news reporting and presenting, he left full time news journalism to concentrate on writing and analysis. Originally from Leeds, Tim arrived at broadcasting from the road less traveled. Not a media studies Tim Marshall was Diplomatic Editor and foreign correspondent for Sky News. After thirty years’ experience in news
reporting and presenting, he left full time news journalism to concentrate on writing and analysis. Originally from Leeds, Tim arrived at broadcasting from the road less traveled. Not a media studies or journalism graduate, in fact not a graduate at all, after a wholly unsuccessful career as a painter and decorator he worked his way through newsroom nightshifts, and unpaid stints as a researcher and runner before eventually securing himself a foothold on the first rung of the broadcasting
career ladder. After three years as IRN’s Paris correspondent and extensive work for BBC radio and TV, Tim joined Sky News. Reporting from Europe, the USA and Asia, Tim became Middle East Correspondent based in Jerusalem. Tim also reported in the field from Bosnia, Croatia and Serbia during the Balkan wars of the 1990’s. He spent the majority of the 1999 Kosovo crisis in Belgrade, where he was one of the few western journalists who stayed on to report from one of the main targets of
NATO bombing raids. Tim was in Kosovo to greet the NATO troops on the day they advanced into Pristina. In recent years he covered the conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, and Syria. He has written for many of the national newspapers including the Times, the Guardian, the Daily Telegraph, and the Sunday Times. Bio photo credit © Jolly Thompson Other books in the seriesArticles featuring this bookThere is nothing like reading a history or biography book and being so completely transported to another time and place that you find... “Sometimes you will hear leaders say, “I’m the only person who can hold this nation together.” If that’s true then that leader has truly failed to build their nation.’ That” — 35 likes “There are fifty American states, but they add up to one nation in a way the twenty-eight sovereign states of the European Union never can. Most of the EU states have a national identity far stronger, more defined, than any American state. It is easy to find a French person who is French first, European second, or one who pays little allegiance to the idea of Europe, but an American identifies with their Union in a way few Europeans do theirs. This is explained by the geography, and the history of the unification of the United States.” — 25 likes More quotes…Welcome back. Just a moment while we sign you in to your Goodreads account. |
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