Book review: Power of geography

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 The book, Power of Geography authored by Mr. Tim Marshall is the sequel to the bestselling book named Prisoners of Geography. The book has been published by Elliot & Thompson in the year of 2021 ,the book in fact starts off by thanking the generation of Covid. Tim Marshall, is a British journalist who is acclaimed for his work on geopolitics. The book is of 325 pages of content with separate sections made up for acknowledgments as well, which is the sign of a very mature researcher.

The book analyses geopolitics from a geographical perspective. The book contains 10 chapters cutting across continents of Asia(special emphasis on West Asia), Europe(Both West & east Europe covered), Africa & Australia have been covered in depth. The extra surprise element is the coverage of Space as a battlefield for geopolitics which is perhaps the most interesting as well as the most futuristic part of the book based on geopolitics. Tim Marshall has covered the countries of Saudi Arabia, Iran, Greece, United Kingdom, Spain, Turkey, Australia, Ethiopia & the geopolitical regions of Sahel along with Space.  

Tim Marshall gives a 360 degree insight into the geopolitical situations of each of these nations in a very explanatory & in depth manner. The book covers the above mentioned countries from a historical point of view which explains their economic development journey along with their geopolitical journey from the time when their history has started to be recorded as well. The book also gives a precise insight into the economic along with the geographical context of the states, it also beautifully linkages the above 2 factors and can also gives a logical explanation why in some countries there have been conflicts between communities or there are regional aspirations existent. The book also gives a detailed version of how the world war 1 & world war 2 have affected these countries/regions at large, for example: The radical Nazis foray into space has also been explained in detail.

Tim Marshall in this book also expounds the  policy making spree in his book in a lot of detail from an unbiased view, the political history of the country with respect to various global events has also been covered in the book in a very convincing manner. For example: Spanish president Franco's domestic policies & NATO entry of Spain in 1980s, Francisco Franco's closeness with USA has also been covered in detail which gives the reader a very good along with basic understanding of how world politics influences the country's choices with respect to its geography, for example: The choice of Turkey to be a NATO member is also expounded in detail with reference to its history along with its geography. The personal experiences of Tim Marshall are also noteworthy. 

The book also beautifully expounds on how sometimes geography is also the cause behind either be a limitations for the economic/territorial ambitions of the country as explained in the case of Spain & the reason why it was never able to extend its empire in Europe as well, the book also focuses on how the local alliances have fared in the country/geopolitical region at large, the example of United Kingdom & its foreign policy of  taking together the smaller powers to counter the larger dominant power is also explained very beautifully even the important point which is often neglected on big stages is of how geography can lead to conflicts between nations is also expounded in a very lucid manner which can help the reader actually visualize of how the  local regional politics of that place works, for example: The example of Ethiopia-Egypt relations & why the 2 countries don't enjoy cordial relations till date is explained with reference to the logic of upstream-downstream country at large. 

The book also finely details the expeditions taken up by the rulers during their course of history & how geography played an important role in all of these expeditions have been explained as well. The book also shows that problems of one area never are limited to that area, it can have spillover effects in multiple parts of the world, which shows the power of interconnectedness of today's world as well. The example of conflict in Sahel & its spillover effect in neighbouring countries of Algeria & even in a far away country like France. The book also conveys a subtle message of how colonialism changed the politics along with economics of all these regions for a very long time period to come for, the example of Australia is the best example that has been explained in a very unbiased manner in the book. 

The book also covers the rise of terrorism among a host of cultural/socially polarizing issues in these regions which can have a very huge impact on maintaining status quo in these regions, for example: The conflict  of identity between the Kurds & non-Kurdish population of Turkey has also been explained, along with its potential challenges in the future for the country at large, the history of such social conflicts with reference to religious identity, ethnic identity, economic issues & even geography as well. The book also has explained the policymaking process in these regions which makes it as a unique reference point for those people interested in international relations or national security or diplomacy at large. 

The policies of prominent rulers in each of these regions like Kemal Ataturk in Turkey, Queen Elizabeth in UK, Franco in Spain, Abiy Ahmed policy with Eritrea, Ayatollah Khomineni in Iran, Bin-Salman family in Saudi Arabia makes a great value addition to the knowledge base of the readers as well. The book also covers the geopolitical influence of the major powers on the local politics of these nations, for example: The influence of USA as a global power has been beautifully explained in the politics and the societal transformation that Iran has undergone in its journey as an independent nation roughly in the last 80 years. The book has also been written in a way that the reader gets at least a bird view insight of the politics that takes place in each of these politically significant areas. 

The book is also written in a very lucid, simple, easy to understand language. The book also has attached important maps that will definitely make the reader understand the context of the chapters that have been authored as well. The book also gives a futuristic comments of Tim Marshall which are mainly very precise along with adopting an approach of measured pessimism which is bound to happen when anyone is authoring a book on geopolitics. 

The book has brilliantly reinforced the importance of geography in GEO-Politics which will be helpful for all people in the long run. All in All, the book is a must read for diplomats, policymakers, students, professors, analysts, defense personnel & economic experts, which shows us that all the fields of millitary-economy are interconnected with geography deciding the major moves that the country takes in its growth story. 

Overall, the main takeaway is that if geography is a challenger, its also a harbinger of opportunities & it always depends upon the will power & dedication of the people of the country on how to make their country a leading player in geopolitics in both the short run as well as the long run.