The New Silk Roads

I never knew so much about the road and route. The book has opened my eyes. English language is top notch

This is a difficult book to review. Frankopan is a renowned historian and a best selling author. It does not feel correct to be critical. So I'll caveat this by saying that this is just my opinion, to be weighed against that of others. What I liked most is the sweeping view of world affairs that this book provides in 250 pages. It's hard to find such a concise and easy to read view of global politics and especially one concerning the silk roads. That was a tick for me. What pained me was the over extensive use of references and quotations. There are about 750 references (approximately 3 per page) and maybe 20% of the book is in the form of quotations. As a result, the book felt more like a literature review that was part 1 of a thesis and less a piece of analysis. The author impresses you with coverage, but not with insight. If you've been living under a rock, this book is great. However, the nuance is missing from the arguments and the perspective comes across as very western. The same trap that it was probably meant to avoid. There are a few minor additional quibbles. Technology is clearly not Frankopan’s strong point; the cursory attempts to cover AI, blockchain etc fall flat and read like a school essay. There are also some grammatical errors or maybe the sentences were just to long for me to understand. Overall, I can't say that I didn't like the book. But I expected a lot, lot more.

The ability to link up world events and concepts of consequence and arrive at balanced analysis is the mark of a master. Peter has actually laid forth a foreign policy for the WEST ....if they can read between his lines.

Yet another powerful read merging seamlessly with its predecessor- The Slik Roads. Puts an important thought ahead- Where are we in the World and on what does our life depend upon? These two books are a collector’s delight.

no está mal, mano

Speaks about the shifting of global playground from West to East. Quite too much and almost 80% of the book is about global power struggle and chiefly between US and China, less about Europe, UK etc and Australia, NZ is harldy mentioned. The only key take away from pre-covid era is that China is gripping the world all over and West is loosing relevance. Nothing much about what the future holds explicitly, which ofcourse is not many can predict. Passable for 1 read. If you are a student in India be aware that East is growing and don't just look up to the west for future. If you are running a medium size business you would've already felt the change!

Seems more of a ramble.. not sure whether the author just intended this book to be a compilation of all news reports concerning the belt and road initiative, a critique of west or just wanted to capitalize on the success of the previous book which I did enjoy. Wouldn't recommend..

EXCELLENT VALUE

Um livro de atualidade para compreender o que se passa no mundo e grave erros de alguma governos ainda presos a uma realidade que já se foi. Explica bem o início da transferência do poder imperial do oeste para o leste.

This is a fascinating review of the rise of influence of China, which does not spare a damning look at the counterproductive, ill informed and dangerous policies of the current White House. The enormous capital investments being financed around the world by China are driving trade but also creating staggering levels of national debt in countries which can ill afford the repayments. However, increasingly Russia and China are the 'go to' countries for support for former allies of the US who have been vilified by the current administration. Turkey, Iran, Pakistan, and even India are increasingly looking to China, and to Russia, as the US pursues its policies of America First - described in these pages as being 'We are America, bitch' The development of AI and robotics in Russia and China, with their enormous potential military applications, place the world at a point of great uncertainty. This all makes for sobering reading. We must hope China uses its new position of emerging world leadership wisely to preserve the peace and to live up to the fine words of its leadership. Beautifully written, erudite and engaging, this is an excellent addendum to the fine 'Silk Roads' by the same author

Definitely recommended reading for all current events followers

The New Silk Road is a wonderful synopsis of civilization. Facts prove that men over the centuries have not changed and have not learned those lessons from history! Short term goals for things society needs are often overlooked as to future consequences.