REVIEW: Prisoners of Geography (Tim Marshall)
Book: Prisoners of GeographyAuthor: Tim Marshall
My rating: 4/5.
Premise: All leaders of nations are constrained by geography. To understand world events, news organizations and other authorities often focus on people, ideas, and political movements, but without geography, we never have the full picture. In ten maps, Marshall explains the complex geo-political strategies of key parts of the globe, providing a context often missing from our political reportage: how the physical characteristics of these countries affect their strengths and vulnerabilities and the decisions made by their leaders.
I found this book really interesting. We explore 10 regions of the world and for each, Tim Marshall explains the history of how the nations and their borders came about and changed, as well as explaining recent political events from the last century with regards to the geographical set up of the nations involved. I learnt so much about diplomatic relations between countries I thought were "pretty chill", and have a better understanding on the conflicts in Africa and the Middle East. I hadn't realised how much tension we Brits (and other European countries) caused with our habit of drawing borders without consulting the natives. Very enlightening and provides a good context for current affairs! I hope Tim follows it up with a sequel covering other countries, such as Australia, Canada, Indonesia, etc!