The Power of Geography: Ten Maps That Reveal the Future of Our World - The Much-Anticipated Sequel to the Global Bestseller Prisoners of Geography
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- Create Date：2021-08-26 02:16:05
- Update Date：2025-09-23
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- Author：Tim Marshall
- ISBN：1783966025
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Summary
Quite simply， one of the best books about geopolitics you could imagine: reading it is like having a light shone on your understanding' - Nicholas Lezard， Evening Standard， on Prisoners of Geography If you want to understand what's happening in the world， look at a map。 Tim Marshall's global bestseller Prisoners of Geography showed how every nation's choices are limited by mountains， rivers， seas and concrete。 Since then， the geography hasn't changed， but the world has。 In this revelatory new book， Marshall takes us into ten regions that are set to shape global politics and power。 Find out why the Earth's atmosphere is the world's next battleground; why the fight for the Pacific is just beginning; and why Europe's next refugee crisis is closer than it thinks。 In ten chapters covering Australia， The Sahel， Greece， Turkey， the UK， Iran， Ethiopia， Saudi Arabia， Spain and Space， delivered with Marshall's trademark wit and insight， this is a lucid and gripping exploration of the power of geography to shape humanity's past， present - and future。 10 Illustrations， black and white
Reviews
Clare Kelly
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InformativeReally enjoy TM’s books。 This book gives a modern overall account of the 10 countries， their histories， their interaction and their present day involvement with each other。 A very good read。
Karan Sood
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Rather anxiety-inducing book…
David Kemple
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Engaging， yet not as easy a read as the first book
Frank Whelan
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An easy to read book that never captures the magic of The Silk Road or Sapiens。 The feeling is very much your high-school geography teacher giving an overview。 After the UK chapter I was ready to drop this to two stars due to a complete lack of depth around the UK’s colonial mishaps and Ireland getting maybe only two sentences。 Ongoing unrest within the country’s borders is worth mentioning， and the book certainly spends time on the Basque region etc。 Also， the Brexit debacle is given a light to An easy to read book that never captures the magic of The Silk Road or Sapiens。 The feeling is very much your high-school geography teacher giving an overview。 After the UK chapter I was ready to drop this to two stars due to a complete lack of depth around the UK’s colonial mishaps and Ireland getting maybe only two sentences。 Ongoing unrest within the country’s borders is worth mentioning， and the book certainly spends time on the Basque region etc。 Also， the Brexit debacle is given a light touch here， even though this book is recent enough to have seen the empty shelves and other outcomes。So my problem is， if I know the UK chapter is giving a skewed view， how do I know the areas I’m unfamiliar with are legit？But I went back up to three stars because on reflection I did learn more about Saudi Arabia and the Sahel。Also， the paperback has a serious lack of maps。 Maybe two per chapter at most， which left me with serious cravings that perhaps can’t be satisfied in the format。 To Google Earth I go！ 。。。more
Miki85
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Per chi come me aveva già letto e apprezzato il precedente saggio di Tim Marshall， “Le 10 mappe che spiegano il mondo“， questa nuova fatica letteraria di sicuro non deluderà。 L’autore torna a trattare di geopolitica e lo fa con il suo stile diretto， puntuale e chiaro ma che allo stesso modo intriga e riesce a far innamorare il lettore della geografia。Ne “Il potere delle mappe” vengono prese in esame dieci zone geografiche del pianeta che spaziano dall’Australia fino allo spazio， passando -tra le Per chi come me aveva già letto e apprezzato il precedente saggio di Tim Marshall， “Le 10 mappe che spiegano il mondo“， questa nuova fatica letteraria di sicuro non deluderà。 L’autore torna a trattare di geopolitica e lo fa con il suo stile diretto， puntuale e chiaro ma che allo stesso modo intriga e riesce a far innamorare il lettore della geografia。Ne “Il potere delle mappe” vengono prese in esame dieci zone geografiche del pianeta che spaziano dall’Australia fino allo spazio， passando -tra le tante- per il Regno Unito， il Sahel e la Spagna。Tim Marshall accorre in nostro aiuto semplificando il quadro regionale， ricostruendo -brevemente- la storia del paese in esame ed infine definendo quelli che sono i problemi che caratterizzano una nazione o una data area geografica。 Questo saggio dalle tematiche interessanti ed affascinanti è consigliato a chiunque desideri capire il mondo in cui viviamo。 E’ un’opera che descrive un pianeta in costante cambiamento。“Il potere delle mappe” segna un felice ritorno per Tim Marshall。 Questa edizione curata e pubblicata da Garzanti è un importante vademecum per capire e comprendere dove e come andrà il mondo。 。。。more
Rob
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Nicely balanced mix of comprehensiveness since comprehensibility explaining the impact of geography on the political history of a number of countries and regions。 Well worth your time。
Mikey Moriarty
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A good sequel to prisoners of geography
Jonathan Freeman
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The author writes with real authority and for the most part is entertaining。 Personally I am grateful to him because his books are at the right level for my Geography A level students doing the geopolitics unit。 His choice of countries was a bit random， presumably these were based on personal choice。 He is rather inconsistent 3 of the big variables going forward are climate change， decarbonisation of economies and the importance of water resources。 He mentioned these for some countries but they The author writes with real authority and for the most part is entertaining。 Personally I am grateful to him because his books are at the right level for my Geography A level students doing the geopolitics unit。 His choice of countries was a bit random， presumably these were based on personal choice。 He is rather inconsistent 3 of the big variables going forward are climate change， decarbonisation of economies and the importance of water resources。 He mentioned these for some countries but they are going to be fundamental for all of them。 I think that perhaps he had gone to a good party before writing the last few pages as he suddenly went a bit hippy。 The strangest thing about the book is who thought it would be a good idea to get it reviewed by Eamonn Holmes？ 。。。more
MT
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This book is absolutely brilliant！ Tim Marshall explores 9 different countries （and space）， examining the relationship between their history， culture and geography and analyzing what it will mean for their future。 Like his previous book， "Prisoners of Geography"， "The Power of Geography" is incredibly thoughtful， enlightening and overall entertaining。 This book is absolutely brilliant！ Tim Marshall explores 9 different countries （and space）， examining the relationship between their history， culture and geography and analyzing what it will mean for their future。 Like his previous book， "Prisoners of Geography"， "The Power of Geography" is incredibly thoughtful， enlightening and overall entertaining。 。。。more
RRvbin
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Das Buch behandelt die geopolitisch/-strategischen Herausforderungen von 9 ausgewählten Ländern， die durch bestimmte Sachverhalte von besonderer Brisanz sind。 Dabei wird auch die Entstehunggeschichte des Landes erzählt， wobei der Leser schon einen Eindruck davon bekommt wie historische Begebenheiten heutige beeinflussen。 Im letzten Kapitel wird das Weltall betrachtet， welches laut Marshall in Zukunft mit ziemlicher Sicherheit die weitere Geschichte der Menschen in die Wege leiten wird。 Darüber h Das Buch behandelt die geopolitisch/-strategischen Herausforderungen von 9 ausgewählten Ländern， die durch bestimmte Sachverhalte von besonderer Brisanz sind。 Dabei wird auch die Entstehunggeschichte des Landes erzählt， wobei der Leser schon einen Eindruck davon bekommt wie historische Begebenheiten heutige beeinflussen。 Im letzten Kapitel wird das Weltall betrachtet， welches laut Marshall in Zukunft mit ziemlicher Sicherheit die weitere Geschichte der Menschen in die Wege leiten wird。 Darüber hinaus wird die Wichtigkeit einer Vormachtstellung im All für einzelnen Nationen， aber auch die Notwendigkeit eines nationenfreien Orbits dargestellt。Eine insgesamt gelungene Darstellung der Geopolitik im Jahr 2021， die unter anderem die Auswirkungen des Corona-Virus‘ miteinbezieht。 Ich hoffe in Zukunft noch weitere Bücher von Marshall bezüglich Geographie/Geopolitik lesen zu können。 。。。more
Haur Bin Chua
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A follow-up from the Prisoners of Geography， in which the author explores ten regions where the hidden power of geography shaped the development of history and is likely to influence the changes in the future。Starting with Australia - an island which is also a country and which also happens to be a continent， much of which uninhabitable。 The uniqueness of Australia is both its strength and weakness。 From defensive standpoint， it will take an uphill task to invade Australia。 The scale of amphibio A follow-up from the Prisoners of Geography， in which the author explores ten regions where the hidden power of geography shaped the development of history and is likely to influence the changes in the future。Starting with Australia - an island which is also a country and which also happens to be a continent， much of which uninhabitable。 The uniqueness of Australia is both its strength and weakness。 From defensive standpoint， it will take an uphill task to invade Australia。 The scale of amphibious assault and supply line required to cover the areas between habitable regions are unthinkable。 While blessed with natural resources， Australia is far away from global supply chain and its import and export trade routes are vulnerable to blockades。 Politically， Australia is in a bind。 Traditionally， it allies itself with the rest of the English speaking community。 But with China’s expanding influence in Asia Pacific especially amongst its neighbours， Australia risks being isolated in this part of the world and are already facing economic backlash from trying to play hardball with China。 Australia will have to play its cards right in this political landmine。The next area is Iran， the descendent of the glorious Persian Empire。 Geographically Iran is defined by its mountains， Zagros and Elburz Mountains on the north and west which form the natural borders and the flat salt deserts in the interior， which are practically uninhabitable。 Throughout history， nobody wants to attack Iran because it’s just bloody hard to （other than the Mongols of course）。 Internally， the unforgiving landscape also makes travel difficult and hence limited control from the centre。 Ethnic groups continue to exist in pockets around the vast country and this is a concern for those in power as an internal rebellion will be harder to quell than any external threat。 At the heights of its power， the Persian empire stretched from Central Asia to the Mediterranean。 After its collapse， Persia collapsed into small kingdoms until the Safavids united the country under Shia Islam。 Following discovery of oil in Iran， foreign interests swarmed into the country， especially the British under Anglo-Persian Oil Company （BP）。 The British supported Reza Khan into power as a shah by toppling the clerics， who in turn modernised Iran。 After World War Two， anti-colonialist fever hit Iran， prompting calls for nationalisation of oil assets。 Amid the turmoil， the reins of power eventually landed on the religious fundamentalists led by Ayatollah Khomeini and created a Shia Islamic republic。 This was viewed by their Sunni neighbour， Iraq， as a threat which prompted Saddam Hussein to launch an attack on Iran but once again geography gave Iran the upper hand。 In 2003， USA naively handed Iran a huge advantage by toppling Saddam Hussein’s government and Iraq’s Shia majority moved in to fill the vacuum。 With this， Iran expanded their sphere of influence in the region especially amongst Shia dominated countries with the likes of Iraq， Kuwait， Syria， Lebanon and Yemen as it continues to clash with Sunni-led states as well as Israel。 As it continues to project its influence in the region， Iran’s biggest threat remains at home。 With the economy hampered by US-led sanctions and COVID-19， the younger generations are starting to get restless and lose confidence of those in power。 If a reform starts to gain momentum， there is no shortage of suppressed minorities who will readily join the reform with external help to topple the clerics and tip the balance of power back towards the Sunnis。The Sunni Islamists in the Middle East are led by Saudi Arabia。 Saudi Arabia was formed as a marriage of convenience between the House of Saud and Sunni Wahhabi fundamentalists。 In this foundational agreement， religion is politics。 Other than hosting the two holiest cities in Islam， Mecca and Medina， much of Saudi Arabia is of little significance as they are covered by the endless deserts。 Everything changed after large amounts of oil were found underneath the sands， bestowing unimaginable riches to the country。 With these new found riches， the Wahhabists exported their strict version of Islam to the rest of the world， which includes jihad。 Many young Saudis， including one Osama bin Laden， were trained in Afghanistan to fight the godless Soviet communists。 When Soviet Union collapsed， these fighters came home and applied their fighting skills now to fight American infidels， culminating in 9/11。 While Saudi Arabia formally condemns the acts of terrorism， it has never admitted its role in the build up towards 9/11。 Two main issues that worry Saudi leadership are the tilting of balance of power in favour of Shia as well as the decarbonisation of the world。 Under the crown prince MBS， Saudi has been aggressive in expanding their influence by sponsoring proxy wars in Syria and Libya， and even directly confronting threats like economic blockade against Qatar， military intervention in Yemen and forcing Lebanon prime minister to resign whilst in Riyadh on a visit。 Saudi is also moving aggressively to reduce its reliance on oil and gas revenue through long term planning - Vision 2030。 This includes investments in mega projects and reducing reliance on foreign workforce。 Underneath it all， Saudi knows that without oil money and in the absence of any geographical advantage like Iran， its role in the region and the world will start to diminish very quickly， and so does its version of Islam。From the kingdom of Saudi Arabia， we now move on to the United Kingdom。 Following the political union of 1707， the United Kingdom possesses a powerful geographical advantage， both from defensibility （failed attempts by Napoleon and Hitler） as well as access to oceans in all directions。 Unlike the warring European nations， the British were able to focus their resources on colonialisation， and built an empire that covered a quarter of the globe。 However， the strain of World War Two left the UK on its knees and handed the power to its younger cousin， the USA。 With the rise of China and formation of EU， the UK continues to lose its influence in the global stage， something that did not fare well among segments of its population and eventually led to Brexit。 Brexit opened another can of worms as most of Scotland wanted to remain in EU。 A divorce will be a tricky scenario as there are many sticky issues like border， military bases and NATO membership that will need to be resolved。 More importantly， the geographic strength of the three hundred year old union will be severely compromised。 Moving on to the Mediterranean， Greece。 Two significant factors define Greece’s geography - mountains and water。 On the north of its mainland， Greece’s mountainous terrain provides a natural defensive barrier against any attacks from that direction。 However， Greece is surrounded by water， Ionian Sea to the West， Mediterranean Sea to the south and Aegean Sea to the East， which makes it vulnerable to sea assaults。 The Persians landed a huge army in Athens in 480 BCE but were unable to make much headway into the mountainous interiors。 In recent times， the key hotspot for Greece is the control for Aegean Sea against Turkey， especially after discovery of potentially huge reserves of natural gas in eastern Mediterranean which means the Aegean Sea will be the key pipeline corridor into Europe。 Greece is also one of the key gateways for Syrian refugees into Europe and Turkey is accusing Greece of shutting the door， leaving the burden with Turkey。 Greece is of strategic importance to NATO as the secondary checkpoint to guard against Russian navy to break out from the Black Sea。 For these reasons， the growing tension between Greece and Turkey will be watched closely by major players of the global political chess game。On the other side of Aegean Sea， Turkey connects the West to the East。 Its political core lies in the west with Anatolian Plain in the east which serves as the buffer zone。 The Ottomans used this strategic location to project power outwards from Vienna to Middle East and Africa。 The Ottoman Empire went through a slow decline and in 1923 Ataturk became the first president of a new Republic of Turkey and Turkey underwent a reform to unify and modernise itself。 During World War Two， Turkey cleverly stayed neutral until the Soviets broke into Germany。 Turkey’s importance lies in its location at the interface between west and east。 In the thick of the Cold War， the threat from Soviet Union who were giving aid to the Kurdish rebels pushed Turkey towards the western sphere。 NATO saw Turkey’s strategic advantage to choke Soviet’s access beyond the Black Sea。 As such， there was a marriage of convenience and Turkey continued to stay in the fringes of the Western world。 With the rise of nationalist Recep Erdogan， there has been a change in direction in Turkey’s foreign policy， much to the irritation of EU and NATO。 This is further exacerbated by Erdogan’s friendliness towards Putin， to the extent of purchasing missile defence system from Russia。 Furthermore， Erdogan’s close ties with Muslim Brotherhood， a Sunni movement seeking to create an Islamic caliphate， put him in conflict with many of its neighbours， including the Sunnis in Saudi Arabia whose monarchy feels threatened by an Islamic caliphate。 Beyond that， Erdogan is a supporter of Blue Homeland， which aims to control large parts of its surrounding seas。 This then put Turkey at odds with Greece， which is also a NATO member。 With the strengthening Kurdish rebellion with the wave of refugees coming from unstable Iraq and Syria， Turkey seeks to expand the buffer zone between Ankara and the enemies in the east。 As such， Turkey once again tread the waters of its predecessors， projecting its power south and eastwards。Next we traverse the Sahel， a strip across African continent bordered by the Sahara desert to the north and rainforest to the south。 This region is made up of countries like Mauritania， Mali， Burkina Faso， Niger， Chad， Sudan and Eritrea。 In recent years， it has become the spawning ground for terrorist groups like Al-Qaeda and ISIS to recruit local ethnic groups to their course。 The root of the issue is how the countries are formed in the first place。 Like most of Africa continent， the country borders in Sahel were artificially drawn up by the Western colonialists during the land grab。 This resulted in a highly fragmented country with various ethnic groups， most of whom do no recognise the ethnic group running the government。 For example， Tuareg tribe in Mali and Fulani in Niger， who were actively marginalised which turn their people to terrorism as the answer to the injustice。 The rapid rise in insurgency pushes a large influx of refugees into Europe， creating a major humanitarian crisis， a problem which none of the European government want to solve。 In recent times， the discovery of rare earth materials attracted Chinese money into the region， which further strengthen those in power。 Unlike the West， the Chinese only have the economic interest in mind and little appetite for helping to teach other countries how to govern。 As such， Sahel is fast becoming an inconvenient mixture， put together by the imperialists， about to blow up back in their faces。Ethiopia is a leading military power at the Horn of Africa， one of the regions of the world most afflicted by conflicts。 Ethiopia’s geography is defined by abundance in fresh water and lack of access to sea water。 A Christian country in an Islamic region， Ethiopia has long tread the geopolitics in the region carefully， many a times taking a neutral stance - almost the Switzerland of East Africa。 The headquarters of the African Union is in its capital， Addis Ababa。 Its access to the Blue Nile means hydroelectric potential and it has built the biggest hydroelectric power plant in the form of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam （GERD）。 This dam puts Ethiopia at odds with Egypt who sees this dam as an existential threat。 To address its lack of access to the sea， with the help from the Chinese， Ethiopia acquired ownership of the Djibouti port which was built by China to facilitate trading activity with the region。 Ethiopian leadership appears to be able to keep the country together， which is important to face the challenges they face as extremist groups and piracy continue to plague the region。Lastly， we go to Spain。 While Spain exists on the map as one single entity， the country is actually made up of various regions with strong， independent identities。 As a member of EU， Spain has little external threats as pressing as its internal ones。 Regions such as Catalonia and Basque has oftentimes threatened independence from Madrid， which might embolden other regions to do likewise and threaten the existence of Spain as a country。Engaging writing style to give ten separate summaries of the geopolitical situations in the region and how they fit into the broader global geopolitics。 。。。more
Michael Hassel
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The Power of Geography by Tim Marshall was not what I expected but nevertheless was a very interesting read。 I thought it perhaps would be similar to Robert Kaplan’s; The Revenge of Geography， but it is not。 I think though they are both complimentary to each other。 Mr。 Marshal’s book is more about how geography within a country or along its borders influences the thoughts and actions internal to the country as opposed to being more outward or protective leaning。 The book covers ten different reg The Power of Geography by Tim Marshall was not what I expected but nevertheless was a very interesting read。 I thought it perhaps would be similar to Robert Kaplan’s; The Revenge of Geography， but it is not。 I think though they are both complimentary to each other。 Mr。 Marshal’s book is more about how geography within a country or along its borders influences the thoughts and actions internal to the country as opposed to being more outward or protective leaning。 The book covers ten different regions or countries many of which I knew little and had mean doing mini-deep dives through Google searches to learn more。 The book has maps but I always find this difficult to use in an e-book so again I read this book on a tablet sitting by my computer where I often had a map on the screen。Some of the countries were not so interesting to me; UK， Australia， Greece， Spain as examples。 Some were very interesting; Iran， Saudi Arabia， Turkey and some led me to learning more about regions I should know more; The Sahel and Ethiopia。 The last because of the conflict going on with the Tigray region。I do not this book can be considered a “bucket list” book but as a start to learn more about various regions。 Mr。 Marshall does an excellent job like an expert short story writer in presenting lots of information as an excellent read in a short number of pages on each area。 To conclude， I do recommend this book to anyone who is interested in understanding how geography can create the thinking within a country and will have you searching for more。 。。。more
Siddhartha Jain
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Binding read to his first book Prisoners of geography。 In this Tim picks up his set of 10 ‘nations’ and delves into detail of how the future looks for them。 My own understanding of geography and geopolitics has got a significant step-up from this book。 Recommended。
Ryan Murdock
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5 / 5 * for Tim Marshall's sequel to the gripping Prisoners of Geography。Geography limits us and defines our possibilities in fundamental ways。 A nation's physical location — at a vital choke point， like the outlet of the Red Sea; commanding the waves on Europe's northwest fringe; at the vulnerable end of the wide open North European Plain — does much to dictate its strengths and fears。 As does its store of resources， and its location in relation to powerful neighbours。Marshall's previous book f 5 / 5 * for Tim Marshall's sequel to the gripping Prisoners of Geography。Geography limits us and defines our possibilities in fundamental ways。 A nation's physical location — at a vital choke point， like the outlet of the Red Sea; commanding the waves on Europe's northwest fringe; at the vulnerable end of the wide open North European Plain — does much to dictate its strengths and fears。 As does its store of resources， and its location in relation to powerful neighbours。Marshall's previous book focused on the big players: Russia， China， the US， EU and more。This time he turns his lens on states which are increasingly important in our multipolar post-Cold War world。He covers the role of Iran in fomenting instability across the Middle East， Turkey's growing "neo-Ottoman" ambitions， the perils and possibilities of Australia， and the continuing instability of The Sahel （and why it matters for Europe）。 That's just part of what's in store for the curious reader。 And at the end of the book， he points to looming conflicts over the geopolitics of space。"We are entering a new age of great-power rivalry in which numerous actors， even minor players， are jostling to take centre stage。"Marshall's new book is essential reading in these increasingly fractured times。 。。。more
Martyn
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I admit to no significant knowledge or opinions in the field of geopolitics。 Maybe if I did l， I might take issue with some of the analyses that Marshall provides。 However I don’t， so I found this book fascinating， informative and highly readable。 Following on from his previous book， this deals with 10 further critical areas of the world and provides history， economics and politics to explain and understand their importance。 Marshall has an astonishing ability to provide a clear sighted erudite I admit to no significant knowledge or opinions in the field of geopolitics。 Maybe if I did l， I might take issue with some of the analyses that Marshall provides。 However I don’t， so I found this book fascinating， informative and highly readable。 Following on from his previous book， this deals with 10 further critical areas of the world and provides history， economics and politics to explain and understand their importance。 Marshall has an astonishing ability to provide a clear sighted erudite perspective on complex geopolitical issues 。。。more
Dan WJ
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Tim Marshall's latest book covers ten regions and their geopolitical trials and tribulations- A great start point for anyone interested in geopolitics。 4/5 This book gives a basic understanding to geopolitics while also providing a unique perspective from the authors own experiences。 Although not as 'locked in' to the physical geography aspect as his previous work， this book acts as a perfect sequel and advances some of the ideas laid out in the authors previous work。 That being said this boo Tim Marshall's latest book covers ten regions and their geopolitical trials and tribulations- A great start point for anyone interested in geopolitics。 4/5 This book gives a basic understanding to geopolitics while also providing a unique perspective from the authors own experiences。 Although not as 'locked in' to the physical geography aspect as his previous work， this book acts as a perfect sequel and advances some of the ideas laid out in the authors previous work。 That being said this book can certainly be read standalone of the authors other work。 My only criticism of this book is the lacklustre maps that find themselves at the start of each chapter and usually in the middle of a chapter to further explain a point。 The tag line across the front cover 'Ten Maps That Reveal The Future of Our World' is a bit of an over exaggeration， if true one could quite easily discover the entire future of human civilisation with a spare hour and an old atlas。 All in all a great book that I'd recommend anyone with an interest in geopolitics reads。 。。。more
Alan D'Souza
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This is a no nonsense introduction to the geography of ten countries。 It includes a brief historical overview of how the countries came to be and their current geopolitical rivalries， perceptions and strategic thinking。 It often reads like a Wikipedia entry， but it does a good job in describing the change in mindset and priorities that local geography and historical evolution bring to the concept of nation building。 Unfortunately， it doesn't really do much beyond skimming the surface， but is a g This is a no nonsense introduction to the geography of ten countries。 It includes a brief historical overview of how the countries came to be and their current geopolitical rivalries， perceptions and strategic thinking。 It often reads like a Wikipedia entry， but it does a good job in describing the change in mindset and priorities that local geography and historical evolution bring to the concept of nation building。 Unfortunately， it doesn't really do much beyond skimming the surface， but is a good introduction to the countries in mention。 The overview on Australia， Turkey and Saudi Arabia were of most interest to me personally， for these appear to be potential flashpoints of changing allegiances or conflict in the changing political dynamics of this century， either in response to ascending powers， climate change or their ability to act as trade choke points。 。。。more
Matt R
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Waste of time， and poorly written。This book is 100% false advertising。 "The Power of Geography"。 Very little geography。 "Ten maps that reveal the future of our world。" The maps don't do this whatsoever。 In the first book， "Prisoners of Geography"， Tim Marshall delivered what he promised。 It focused on the physical geography of regions or nations and connected it to that nation's political and military strategies。 I enjoyed reading it， and learned a fair bit about geopolitics。 This book， I learne Waste of time， and poorly written。This book is 100% false advertising。 "The Power of Geography"。 Very little geography。 "Ten maps that reveal the future of our world。" The maps don't do this whatsoever。 In the first book， "Prisoners of Geography"， Tim Marshall delivered what he promised。 It focused on the physical geography of regions or nations and connected it to that nation's political and military strategies。 I enjoyed reading it， and learned a fair bit about geopolitics。 This book， I learned pretty much nothing at all。 Each chapter has this structure:1。 A very basic map of the country。2。 A couple of pages describing the geography。3。 A fat old middle section that goes through a very basic overview of the history of that country。 Usually a third of this part is dedicated to the politics of the second half of the 20th century。 4。 A few closing pages of speculation about where the country might be headed in the coming years。 This gets old very quickly。 The best way to read this book is to read the first and final 3 pages of each chapter。 Marshall is not very good at writing about history and it is painful to trudge through those middle sections。 He clearly attempts to be "impartial" but because he gives attention to certain areas and skips over others， he falls on his arse。 He also tries to spice things up with some anecdotes from when he was out reporting in various regions。 But the way he tells them makes me think he is the most boring man in the world， who happened to be at some interesting places at interesting times。 One story he says that a policeman didn't thump him because he had freckles。 Wow。 Also， too many instances of pro-British whitewashing of history。 The colonial French were vile bastards。 But Britain was just a little bit naughty and all is forgiven because we abolished slavery first。 Any non-Western atrocities are given plenty of attention， however。 I am left wondering what the point of this book actually is？ Who is the target audience？ A reader of the first book， you would assume， has a decent grasp of global history and politics。 Or is interested in it enough to competently Google specific periods or regions for more background info。 So why make this second book a sub-standard history book that flails all over the place。 The cynic in me wants to say that Marshall wanted to cash in on the success of his first outing。 He had some leftover chapters that didn't make the cut because the content wasn't enough。 So he padded it out with a lot of history to bash out another book。The optimist in me would say that Marshall didn't have good advice from his editors or he committed way too early to a format that he just couldn't see is broken。 Ultimately， I have to give it 1 star because I can't name one thing I took away from this book。 I actually feel like I've lost some knowledge rather than gained any。 。。。more
Thomas Devlin
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Another excellent book by Tim Marshall and a great primer on the major geopolitical issues that are likely to emerge over the next decade。
Charlie V
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Geopolitics innit
Oliver Jones
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Not as good as the first book， but a good read。 Standout chapters - Australia， Ethiopia， Space。
Mr Jeffery
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An excellent book from an excellent author。 Not in my opinion quite as good as Prisoners of Geography but a noble effort anyway。 This is probably due to it concentrating on the what ifs of the future although the explanations of how we got there were excellent ， informative and very up-to-date。If you liked the previous book you will enjoy this one。
Roland
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One of the best book I have read this year。 Fantastic insight of how geopolitics， influence real politics and shape our politics。I found all the chapter interesting and I would have liked to read about more countries。
Kieran Atter
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Another excellent book by Marshall， examining the geography of different countries （and space！） and why that explains their histories。 Enjoyable and informative from start to finish。
Silvia
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Unfortunately， definitely not as good as its prequel。 I felt it didn't really know what kind of book it was supposed to be。 Unfortunately， definitely not as good as its prequel。 I felt it didn't really know what kind of book it was supposed to be。 。。。more
Ashley Strachan
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Sequel to a favourite of mine， Prisoners of Geography， this is the second Tim Marshall book I've read。 Personal favourite chapters were Australia， Greece and The Sahel。 Space was an unexpected but exciting final chapter！ Amazing to think about the implications of exploring and populating space in the not so distant future。 As for me， I'm happy to stay right here on my home planet， and watch the unfolding of geopolitics with far greater understanding than before I read this book！ Thanks Tim for m Sequel to a favourite of mine， Prisoners of Geography， this is the second Tim Marshall book I've read。 Personal favourite chapters were Australia， Greece and The Sahel。 Space was an unexpected but exciting final chapter！ Amazing to think about the implications of exploring and populating space in the not so distant future。 As for me， I'm happy to stay right here on my home planet， and watch the unfolding of geopolitics with far greater understanding than before I read this book！ Thanks Tim for making this knowledge accessible to the everyday reader！ ❤🌏❤ 。。。more
Alva McDermott
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Geopolitics 💉💉💉
Dan George
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A dramatically more engaging and meaningful book when compared to Marshall’s - Flags worth dying for。 Following the same structure as prisoners of geography， this book uses a historical lens on events to predict the future of countries who are blessed by their geography。 An insightful vignette of each country included with a provoking concluding chapter about space。
Ross Sheddon
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Good， but lacking a spark
Steve Gillway
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