The Dust Of Empire: The Race For Mastery In The Asian Heartland - Hardcover

Karl Ernest Meyer

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1586480480 ISBN 13: 9781586480486

Publisher: PublicAffairs, 2003

Synopsis

Veteran US journalist Meyer, coauthor of Tournament of shadows: the great game and race for empire in Central Asia (1999), seeks to educate Americans in the post-9/11 terrorist war context about the history of a perennial "hotspot" that has long viewed the US as an empire. Includes a map of Asia and photos of US, British, and Soviet players in the region. Annotation (c) Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

About this title

About the Author:

Karl E. Meyer has taught at Princeton, Yale, and Tufts Universities.

From Publishers Weekly:

Meyer, editor of World Policy Journal and a longtime member of the New York Times editorial board, draws on his extensive knowledge to trace the histories of several south, central and west Asian countries that are now of critical importance to the U.S. At a time when powerless nations can have profound impact on international affairs, his work serves as a powerful introduction to this poorly understood region-valued for its oil and location yet feared for its extremism-and simultaneously offers instructive lessons to American policy makers as the U.S. forges relationships with these states. Meyer combines scholarly expertise with journalistic detail in a rich account relaying formative events through extensive research and poignant personal anecdotes. Skillfully weaving in his perceptive reflections on American imperialism, Meyer strongly argues, "Washington is the seat of an empire, if of a special kind," which must cultivate substantive relationships rather than shortsighted alliances if it hopes to win the war on terror. But Meyer's treatment of the countries under discussion is inconsistent. In some cases, he offers a succinct summary of relevant political events, whereas other histories are more arbitrary and less structured. A work of such scope also has little room for nuances. Together, these characteristics may leave readers with superficial understanding. However, Meyer intends to "sharpen" the reader's appetite, and interested readers will take the book for what it is-a compelling yet cursory introduction to a fascinating region-and continue to build a deeper understanding of the region.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: PublicAffairs
• Publication date: 2003
• ISBN 10: 1586480480
• ISBN 13: 9781586480486
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 272