A reminder of the salience of geography in international affairs – the relationship of countries and their neighbours, the threats posed and the issues faced by different countries, Tim Marshall’s book is a rollercoaster ride around the globe. The book offers a glance of the international political affairs and the issues surrounding some parts of the globe. Insightful, subtle and somewhat intriguing, Marshall does not explore the issues of the environment and the implications of the imminent hydrocarbon here.

Divided into chapters on the US, Africa, China, Russia and other countries, readers will learn about the gripping analysis of today’s world. How do you solve a problem like the fragile states of the Middle East? Would there be equality or stability in the Middle East?

The book does not deliver its title, nor is the book free from inexplicable claims. It is a virtual Atkins diet of geography and politics. Where do you think we stand in this world? How is the current state of the world? But the real question is, can geopolitics explain everything?

The book is far more than just desserts, lands, rivers and mountains. If you were to describe one element that makes it special, what would it be?