Released: July 25th 2015 (Original Version)
Number of Pages: 287
Genre: Non-Fiction, International Affairs, Security, Geography
With an ever-changing global landscape and the political procedures contained therein, it’s often difficult to keep track of the bigger picture. The highly experienced Tim Marshall, an expert writer in foreign affairs, has provided a clear window into this topic with the brilliant Prisoners of Geography.
Across ten chapters, Marshall takes the reader to all continents around the world, delivering a historical recount as a background before discussing a variety of traits. Motives, landscapes, strategic positioning, attitudes to military and security; it’s all here. A vast array of references, statistics and personal perspectives line the pages, ensuring an incredibly deep look into every country. That’s the only issue one could have with the book; the sheer amount of information to process across each region is quite complex, with multiple countries contained within every section.
The book’s structure facilitates a very fluid delivery of said information however; each chapter begins with a summarising quote of the region and a short, overarching statement to set the scene. With very few breaks in the paragraphs throughout a chapter, it’s better to read all the way through, rather than stop in the middle to best take in the author’s facts and pointers. There’s a clear progression as he begins with the world’s largest superpowers and ends by looking to the future with the contested Arctic circle.
When reading, I never felt that Tim strayed too far to one side of the argument when discussing other nations; the talk of political climate across nations is mostly used to ground and contextualise the surrounding descriptions, providing a current glimpse into the proposed motives of other nations. National security specialists are sure to notice the wider references to conflicts and why they can erupt but these don’t veer into narrow biases or personal opinions outside of the introduction and conclusion.
Recommended?
Yes: Prisoners of Geography is short yet immensely detailed and is sure to teach anyone a great deal about national borders and the environments that define them. But if you’re a student of politics or international affairs, it’s essential reading, providing a comprehensive look at history, demographics and differing terrain types simultaneously. You really do get a sense of how countries evolve and change over time due to their geography and where things may be going in the future. In this sense, I can’t recommend it enough.
The edition I read has been revised and updated as of the end of 2016 to include new political events and is the version to read.
Comments