Prisoners of Geography: Read this now to understand the geopolitical context behind Putin's Russia and the Ukraine crisis: Ten Maps That Tell You Everything You Need to Know About Global Politics - Hardcover

Tim Marshall

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1783961414 ISBN 13: 9781783961412

Publisher: Elliott & Thompson, 2015

Synopsis

THE INTERNATIONAL AND NO. 1 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER

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.

About this title

Review:

"Quite simply, one of the best books about geopolitics you could imagine: reading it is like having a light shone on your understanding... Marshall is clear-headed, lucid and possessed of an almost uncanny ability to make the broad picture accessible and coherent ... the book is, in a way which astonished me, given the complexities of the subject, unputdownable... I can't think of another book that explains the world situation so well." - Nicholas Lezard, Evening Standard

'A fresh and original insight into the geopolitics behind today's foreign policy challenges' -- Andrew Neil

"Compels a fresh way of looking at maps - not just as objects for orientation or works of art, but as guideposts to the often thorny relations between nations" -- The New York Times

'Crisply written and brilliantly argued' -- Dame Ann Leslie

'An essential and detailed reflection of the geopolitical dynamics that exist globally' --Dr Sajjan M. Gohel

"Sharp insights into the way geography shapes the choices of world leaders." -- Gideon Rachman, Financial Times

"A timely reminder of the importance of geopolitics ... A good bluffer's guide for the members of the newly elected Foreign Affairs and Defence Select Committees" -- Keith Simpson MP, summer reading list recommendations

"Marshall's latest book explains how politics is nothing without geography, in his crisp and compelling style ... What he really excels at is capturing the psychology of nations and giving maps a power that politicians must tame." -- Top Ten Holiday Reads - Dan Lewis, Stanfords, WorldTravelGuide.net

"Difficult to put down... Marshall succeeds in making lucid a complex topic."-- Chris Tilbury, Prospect

"There are few foreign correspondents in the current British media who can present an overview of a political situation quite like Tim Marshall ... in Prisoners of Geography he presents this knowledge and experience quite brilliantly. It's a cleverly written book and underlines what makes Tim Marshall such an effective voice on world affairs" -- retroculturati.com

"A very good idea, very well executed -- and (perhaps as one expected) very entertainingly written" --Professor Anthony Glees, Director, Centre for Security and Intelligence Studies (BUCSIS), The University of Buckingham

"Shows the ways geography shapes not just history but human destiny... In an ever more complex, chaotic and interlinked world, Prisoners of Geography is a concise and useful primer on geo-politics. Marshall is not afraid to ask tough questions and provide sharp answers." -- Adam LeBor, Newsweek

"Remarkable and stimulating ... an eye opener in every sense. I now understand in ways that I never did before how much impact physical geography has on political reality. Within these pages you will find a heady mixture of accurate analysis and almost poetic description. ... If you are worried about the dumbing down of news but want to find out for yourself what lies behind the international headlines, this book would be a great place to start." -- Richard Littledale, blogger

"A reminder of the salience of geography in international affairs... . Ideologies may come and go but, says Marshall, who served a long stint as diplomatic editor of Britain's Sky News, such geopolitical facts of life endure." -- Daniel Dombey, Financial Times

"a timely reminder that despite technological advances, geography is always there, often forcing the hand of world leaders." -- Mark Cooper-Jones, Geographical

"Very useful ... a highly accessible introduction to the geopolitics of every region on Earth. Considering that there are so many 'popular economics' and 'popular history' books out there, it's good to see a 'popular geography' or 'popular geopolitics' book" -- BMIResearch.com

"An introduction to geopolitics and geo-strategy ... worth reading as a commentary on the subject"-- Army Rumour Service review

"An exceptional work, well-researched, argued and documented ... a treasure of information to satisfy the specialist researcher into contemporary geopolitics and offers a riveting insight to the general reader or student.... It is all covered in this magnificent book, which I highly recommend." --Nehad Ismail, writer and broadcaster

About the Author:

Tim Marshall is a leading authority on foreign affairs with more than 25 years of reporting experience. He was diplomatic editor at Sky News, and before that was working for the BBC and LBC/IRN radio. He has reported from thirty countries and covered the conflicts in Croatia, Bosnia, Macedonia, Kosovo, Afghanistan, Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, and Israel. His blog Foreign Matters was shortlisted for the Orwell Prize 2010.

He has written for newspapers including The Times, Sunday Times, Guardian, Independent and Daily Telegraph, and is the author of Shadowplay: The Overthrow of Slobodan Milosevic (a bestseller in former Yugoslavia) and "Dirty Northern B*st*rds!" and Other Tales from the Terraces: The Story of Britain¹s Football Chants. He is the founder and editor of TheWhatandtheWhy.com

About this edition

• Publisher: Elliott & Thompson
• Publication date: 2015
• ISBN 10: 1783961414
• ISBN 13: 9781783961412
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 256