The Dust of Empire: The Race for Supremacy in the Asian Heartland - Softcover

Karl Meyer

3.73

127 ratings by Goodreads

9780349117430: The Dust of Empire: The Race for Supremacy in the Asian Heartland

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0349117438 ISBN 13: 9780349117430

Publisher: Abacus, 2004

View all copies of this ISBN edition:

THE DUST OF EMPIRE puts into historical context the countries of Central Asia - Eurasia - which are among the most fabled and least known in the world today. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, many of these countries that were once colonies are now independent, and ancient rivalries have been rekindled where much is at stake, including one of the world's last untapped oilfields. Meyer describes the conflicts arising from the proliferation of self-determination and nation-states after the end of the Second World War, and assesses the brutality of empire and the expansionist fervour of the nineteenth century. The subsequent chapters cover a different region or country in Eurasia: Russia, Persia/Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan and the Caucausus. THE DUST OF EMPIRE is an impeccably researched and absorbing foray into the history and geo-political issues central to each of these countries, and in particular how these relate to current Western foreign policy and business interests.

"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.

About the Author:

A former New York Times editor, Karl Meyer is now editor at World Policy Journal and the co-author of the acclaimed TOURNAMENT OF SHADOWS.

Review:

Both a scholar and a journalist, Meyer's understanding of the region's intricate geotopical history is matched by his ability to tell a good story. THE DUST OF EMPIRE is as gripping as any thriller, a deftly written overview by an expert in the field. * GEOGRAPHICAL MAGAZINE * [A] poweful introduction to this poorly understood region...Meyer combines scholarly expertise with journalistic detail in a rich account relaying formative events through extensive research and poignant personal anecdotes. * PUBLISHERS WEEKLY * Deserves to be read in the White House ... Scholarly and eloquently told, the stories of empire in the Asian heartland have an edge of urgency ... With a sense of easy mastery, [Meyer] gazes broadly at the longest view * LOS ANGELES BOOK REVIEW * Not only readable and well informed but timely to an almost painful degree ... This book is a rattling good yarn * Geoffrey Wheatcroft, NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW *

"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.