Summary
Are you tired of hearing news stories about Kashmir and wondering why Pakistan and India can’t just get along? Can we ever hear any positive news from Sudan? Why does it seem to be in a constant state of turmoil? Why are the borders of some countries straight lines instead of the usual squiggly ones?
The world of geopolitics is a complicated place, and there are many approaches one can take to understand it. In Prisoners of Geography, Tim Marshall argues that the most probable route is to look to the land itself for the answers. The main thesis of the book is that there is not enough focus on the ‘geo’ part of ‘geopolitics’. We often spend too much time talking about various ideologies or technologies as driving world events, when reality is often much more affected by land features. For example, on paper it is hard to imagine why the massive empires of China and India have rarely engaged in full-scale conflict—that is until you realize they are separated by the tallest mountain range in the world. This also explains why Tibet is so fiercely contested, as it represents a high ground that neither country is interested in ceding to the other side.
It is through this lens that Marshall provides a primer to the world of international relations. He splits the world into ten maps, giving an overview of the modern histories of these locations with special emphasis on the river basins and natural resources contained within.
Thoughts
I give this book an unqualified endorsement—in both senses of the word. Unqualified because it was a fascinating read, and unqualified because my knowledge of each of these locations is cursory at best. I think there are likely many criticisms leveled at the author for his narrative choice of elevating geography to the prime mover of history. However, if the reader comes to the book with the understanding that the scope of the topic dooms it to oversimplification, I think one could make much worse oversimplifications. Personally, I found this to be a compelling bird’s-eye view of the globe. It definitely made me want to study several of them in more detail. In short, this book is a great place to start for those who are interested in broadening their understanding of the world we live in.