Robert Kaplan: The Revenge of Geography; What the Map tells us about Coming Conflicts and the Battle against Fate
Think started this a while ago then left but now picked up. Fascinating and wide-ranging book (albeit with the too-frequent American overstated title explication!) looking at how geography, and often physical geography, is a if not the deciding factor in history and geopolitics and other elements...politics, ideology. Remarkably wide ranging...from Herodotus onwards and slightly unusual I feel in this world of academic specialiston.
Came across interesting point that was almost made as an aside but which could be the source of much interesting work and development( if it has not been already) about how the Jewish people are a remarkable exception in unlike any other group, not over there history having a clearly defined physical homeland. I know in away this sounds wrong but it's the best way I can put it. Will tag Elen Haf as sure she can enlighten/correct/comment upon what have said or am trying to say.
Having now finally finished ( a while ago to be honest; only now in the hols am I catching up on posts such as these) am amazed at how illuminating and relevant it is.chinas recent action with the drone now makes total sense...and with much else a good knowledge of history is utterly essential to an intelligent understanding of current affairs.
However probably the most fascinating chapter was the last one and the nature of Me icon and its relationship to the USA. I really had not realised the symbiotic nature of the relationship between the two and how centrally important that is. The idea too, mentioned in a number of other historical contexts at other places in the book, such as the declining Roman Empire, about how two adjacent societies with different levels of social and economic achievement are interconnected like two ends of a piece of twisted paper is most intriguing. And how the less developed one will tend to pull down the more developed one is a fascinating idea and puts a fascinating spin on Trump and the wall.
