Prisoners of Geography: Ten Maps That Explain Everything About the World (Politics of Place) Paperback – October 11, 2016

I've seen World power struggles refined by energy, water and other things, but overall geography is a fascinating and clearly relevant look. The author is convincing but doesn't need to be. What is laid out makes itself very clearly obvious, out just isn't often looked at that way. Whether you like geography, World politics, history, military affairs or just want to learn something new and interesting, this is a worthwhile and interesting read

The book Prisoners of Geography: Ten Maps That Explain Everything About the World (Politics of Place Book 1) by journalist Tim Marshall explores the impact that geography has on international relations. Marshall uses ten maps of key regions of the world to explain how the physical aspects of a country, such as its location, its climate, its natural resources, and its borders, can influence its foreign policy.The book begins with a discussion of the importance of geography in politics. Marshall argues that the leaders of countries are not completely free to make their own decisions, since their options are limited by geographical conditions. For example, Russia needs to have a navy in order to project its power to the world, but its ports are frozen for six months of the year, limiting its ability to operate at sea.Marshall then examines ten key regions of the world, using maps to illustrate his points. In the chapter on Russia, for example, Marshall explains how Russia's location between Europe and Asia, its extreme climate, and its long borders have made it vulnerable to foreign invasions. In the chapter on China, Marshall explains how geography has helped China become an economic powerhouse, but has also limited its ability to project its military power.The book concludes with a discussion of the future of geography in politics. Marshall argues that geography will continue to be an important factor in international relations, but that the impact of geography may be tempered by technological development. For example, the development of aircraft and ballistic missiles has allowed countries to extend their military power further, reducing the importance of land borders.Prisoners of Geography is a fascinating and well written book that offers a new perspective on international politics. The book is a must-read for anyone who wants to better understand how geography affects the world around us.Here are some of the book's highlights:The book uses maps effectively to illustrate its points.The book is accessible to the general reader, but it is also informative for readers who are more knowledgeable about geography.The book is relevant to current events as it discusses the implications of geography for the politics of the major world powers.The book is a good starting point to learn more about the importance of geography in international politics.If you are interested in learning more about international politics, I recommend reading Prisoners of Geography. It is a book that will help you better understand the world around you.

The book was an easy read and brought together several geographic features I was aware of, but did not realize the impact. In addition to rivers, climate, deep ports, mountians, so much of politics and prosperity is long term aided or limited by the country' s geography. It allows you to appreciate and understand historic driver such as the Russian historical drive to have warm water ports, limited development of south America beyond the coast cities, and migration patterns from poor agriculture areas to more prosperous lands.

Prisoners of Geography gives an overview of modern geopolitics through the lens of geography. It provides a brief history of the worlds major geographic regions and powers and how geography has both shaped events as well as define current relationships. The author sets out chapters for China, Russia, the US, Western Europe, Africa, the Middle East, the Indian subcontinent, Korea and Japan, Latam as well as the Arctic. The book in short space gives a easily readable overview of how to think about the geography of the world and its impact on historic and contemporary events.Given the breath of books on politics this book is a refreshing read which brings fresh insight with how to view geopolitical conflicts. We often forget about the role of geography in the modern age with integrated supply chains in an age of global trade but access to resources and stability of borders have often defined economics and in particular politics. The author discusses how the geography of Russia has defined recent events in the Ukraine and how China's energy trade make the South and East China Seas of critical national importance. The author discusses the remarkably beneficial geography and resources of the US and how the territory's natural defenses make it largely impossible to defend, unlike Russia and Europe. The author discusses how colonial powers divided and put up fictitious borders in Africa and the Middle East and how the ethnic divisions plague the regions today. The author gives an account of India and Pakistan and how the Himalayas provide both a boundary but also have forced the conflicts for those inside the boundaries. The author spends some time on South America but discusses how despite resource wealth the trade distance has been prohibitive.The role of geography in politics is of course of utmost importance. It is usually subordinated these days to the narratives of the time but in Prisoners of Geography the author spells out how it is geography that defines national interest and creates the conditions for conflict. It is definitely a quick read and there is far more comprehensive books out there on how geography has defined development and historic conflicts but this is a highly readable overview for interpreting today's politics.

Overall, this book is extremely well written. It provides a great baseline for why things are the way they are in the world of conflict, geopolitics, and grand strategy. If you want a spark notes version of how the world got to its current state, this is your book. Although yes, some of this is outdated (some Russian facts) since it was written in the mid-2010’s, a majority of the sentiment and knowledge still is true. Particularly enjoyed the Latin American, Middle Eastern, and African chapters. Also great that he included maps. Ideally, this is a better read with a physical book so that you can continuously reference the maps.