Prisoners of Geography

'A fresh and original insight into the geopolitics behind todays foreign policy challenges Andrew Neil; `Crisply written and brilliantly argued Dame Ann Leslie; `An essential and detailed reflection of the geopolitical dynamics that exist globally Dr Sajjan M. Gohel; '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 cant think of another book that explains the world situation so well.' Nicholas Lezard, Evening Standard ; '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; '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; 'Marshalls 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; 'A timely reminder of the importance of geopolitics A good bluffers guide for the members of the newly elected Foreign Affairs and Defence Select Committees' - Keith Simpson MP, summer reading list recommendations; '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 Britains Sky News, such geopolitical facts of life endure.' Daniel Dombey, Financial Times; 'There are few foreign correspondents in the current British media who can present an overview of a political situation quite like Tim Marshall. The former Diplomatic Editor at Sky News, he has a long and impressive CV in foreign journalism covering conflicts in Croatia, Bosnia, Macedonia, Kosovo, Afghanistan, Iraq, Lebanon, Syria and Israel and in his new book, Prisoners of Geography he presents this knowledge and experience quite brilliantly.' - Retroculturati; 'An introduction to geopolitics and geo-strategy worth reading as a commentary on the subject' - Army Rumour Service review; 'Sharp insights into the way geography shapes the choices of world leaders.' - Gideon Rachman, Financial Times; '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; '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.&ap

Tim Marshall is a leading authority on foreign affairs with more than 25 years of reporting experience. He was diplomatic editor at Sky News, having worked for the BBC and LBC/IRN radio. He has reported from thirty countries and covered 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 papers 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 Britain's Football Chants (E&T, 2014). He is the founder and editor of TheWhatandtheWhy.com.

CONTENTS; Foreword by Sir John Scarlett KCMG OBE vii; Introduction ix; 1 Russia 1; 2 China 27; 3 USA 53; 4 Western Europe 75; 5 Africa 95; 6 The Middle East 119; 7 India and Pakistan 153; 8 Korea and Japan 177; 9 Latin America 197; 10 The Arctic 221; Conclusion 237; Bibliography 241; Acknowledgements 247; Index 249