Today we know how mountains, rivers, seas and buildings shape history and politics beyond human will. In “Prisoners of geography”Tim Marshall He drew the physical limits that determine world geopolitics. However, human needs and interests move faster than tectonic plates, and new geopolitical realities are constantly emerging in a society that is more multipolar than ever. This paragraph heads the synopsis of Marshall’s interesting new work, “The power of geography. The ten territories that challenge our future” posted by Peninsula Editions.
The new book by this British journalist and writer, specialized in foreign affairs and international diplomacy, is a sequel to “Prisoners of geography”. This sequel makes sense because, although these factors outlined above remain crucial, the rapidity with which human needs and interests change has generated new geopolitical dynamics in a society that is more multipolar than ever. In the work, Marshall shows us that territories and countries like Australia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, United Kingdom, Greece, Türkiye, Sahel, Ethiopia, Spain and the space, is already playing an essential role in a period of great and increasing political rivalry. A time in which new powers emerge and dependence on alliances and agreements with smaller nations increases. The British demonstrates how the place, the enclave and, ultimately, the geographical location as well as the possibility of accessing resources, would provide an explanation for issues such as the migratory crisis in Europe, the instability in the sahel and the influence of the Middle East.
After reading your 474 pagesit can be concluded that we are facing a work that is essential to understand in a clear, didactic way and with substantiated data, the difficulty that the existence of a globalized world entails and entails. The enormous power that geography has always had to shape the past, present and future of humanity is now, in 2024, much more pronounced than before.
About Spain
Regarding our country, the book points out that its geography and enclave gives Spain a military defensive advantage, the possibility of controlling the entry and exit of the Mediterraneanin addition to ports and bases with which it can maintain military and commercial links and that helped it create one of the most powerful armies in Europe and, later, an empire. The author believes that “despite everything, even at the height of Spanish power, its internal geography limited its creation of wealth and political unity.” Interesting is the conclusion he reaches in the sense that “the difficulties in transporting goods and people, due to the mountains and rivers, are one of the factors that have slowed down the creation of a strong and centralized State and “They have preserved regional identities and languages.”
This mention stands out, pointing out an alleged segregation of Catalonia from Spain. “If a independent Catalonia will stay outside the EU, China and Russia They would try to make new friends and influence the Catalan citizens. Russia has been trying to consolidate its position in Greece for two decades and would love to achieve the same in the western Mediterranean. Even so, more plausible would be Beijing’s purchasing power, which would enter at full speed into the ports of Barcelonawhich would offer investment and trade within the framework of its initiative to create a new silk route,” the author warns and analyzes in the chapter dedicated to Spain.
The brilliant and renowned professor of Global History at the University of Oxford, Peter Frankopan (author of “The Transformed Earth”, a monumental study in which he shows how the natural environment has shaped civilizations since the beginning of time), has described “The Power of Geography” as “Another excellent guide to the modern world. “Marshall is a master at explaining what you need to know and why.”
Also the “Financial Times” describes Marshall’s new book with praise such as “A crucial and fascinating reminder of the importance of consulting an atlas before delving into world affairs, especially in times of rising geopolitical tensions.”
About the author
Tim Marshall is an authority on international news, with more than twenty-five years of experience as a reporter. He has been a correspondent for the British network Sky News and has collaborated with the BBC and LBC/IRN. He has worked in more than thirty countries and covered the wars in Croatia, Bosnia, Macedonia, Kosovo, Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Syria and Israel. Publish articles on The Times, TheSunday Times, TheGuardian, TheIndependent and TheDailyTelegraphand is the author of several books, including the international bestseller Prisoners of geography. Marshall is founder and editor of the web news platform thewhatandthewhy.com, a site for journalists, politicians, foreign affairs analysts and enthusiasts to share their views on world news events. He currently resides in London.
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