17 March 2010
Karl E. Meyer – The Dust of Empire: The Race for Mastery in the Asian Heartland
Posted by Dirk under: books .
Sometimes I read non-fiction. Random non-fiction books grab my attention for some reason. In the case of this book, it was that cover photograph. Those dudes look pretty badass and that was enough for me to grab the book. Also, that area of the world is pretty interesting, as in the old Chinese curse of “May you live in interesting times.” type of interesting.
Karl E. Meyer gives a pretty good overview of the area and the history of turmoil and turbulence there. Chapters include some on Russia, Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan, The Caucasus and Central Asia. I seriously doubt any part of the world has had more fighting and blood spilled on it than the areas in this book.
Considering America is basically occupying two of the countries in that area, knowing a bit of the history of the area seems like a good idea. If you are interested in such history, this is a pretty good book to get you started.