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Politics of Place #5
Tương Lai Của Địa Lý
Trong loạt sách về địa chính trị đã làm nên tên tuổi của mình, Tim Marshall xem xét tác động của địa chính trị, đến khả năng và giới hạn của việc triển khai sức mạnh quốc gia tại các điểm nóng chính trị trên toàn cầu. Tương lai của địa lý sẽ tiếp tục khảo sát về địa chính trị, nhưng không phải trên mặt đất đã trở nên chật chội với chúng ta, mà hướng lên bầu trời, vào vũ trụ.
Tim Marshall đưa đến một tầm nhìn mang tính tiên tri về địa chính trị của không gian trong tương lai, không chỉ các quốc gia mà cả các công ty tư nhân cũng sẽ dự phần vào những cuộc cạnh tranh lâu dài và tốn kém để kiểm soát quyền lực và khai thác các nguồn tài nguyên trong không gian.
Cuốn sách được nghiên cứu công phu, dựa trên những thông tin mới nhất từ phía các cơ quan công quyền, các tổ chưc tình báo, các cơ quan thuộc chính phủ và dân sự về không gian, sẽ cung cấp cho bạn đọc một báo cáo chi tiết, rõ ràng về cuộc chạy đua vào vũ trụ. Không gian mênh mông phía trên đầu chúng ta giờ đây không đơn thuần là khoảng không nữa, mà đã có những đánh dấu chủ quyền và bị tác động bởi những cuôc tranh giành quyền kiểm soát không gian, hay có thể gọi là “chính trị thiên văn”.
Liệu hoạt động trong không gian của các siêu cường có thể xác lập tương lai của chính trị thế giới theo những cách mà đến nay chúng ta vẫn chưa thể hình dùng? Liệu những gì xảy ra trong không gian có định hình lịch sử loài người như cách núi , sông và biển đã tác động đến các nền văn mình trên khắp thế giới hay không? Và liệu có phải ngẫu nhiên mà Hoa Kỳ, Nga và Trung Quốc dẫn đầu trong cuộc chạy đua vào không gian?
Tim Marshall đưa đến một tầm nhìn mang tính tiên tri về địa chính trị của không gian trong tương lai, không chỉ các quốc gia mà cả các công ty tư nhân cũng sẽ dự phần vào những cuộc cạnh tranh lâu dài và tốn kém để kiểm soát quyền lực và khai thác các nguồn tài nguyên trong không gian.
Cuốn sách được nghiên cứu công phu, dựa trên những thông tin mới nhất từ phía các cơ quan công quyền, các tổ chưc tình báo, các cơ quan thuộc chính phủ và dân sự về không gian, sẽ cung cấp cho bạn đọc một báo cáo chi tiết, rõ ràng về cuộc chạy đua vào vũ trụ. Không gian mênh mông phía trên đầu chúng ta giờ đây không đơn thuần là khoảng không nữa, mà đã có những đánh dấu chủ quyền và bị tác động bởi những cuôc tranh giành quyền kiểm soát không gian, hay có thể gọi là “chính trị thiên văn”.
Liệu hoạt động trong không gian của các siêu cường có thể xác lập tương lai của chính trị thế giới theo những cách mà đến nay chúng ta vẫn chưa thể hình dùng? Liệu những gì xảy ra trong không gian có định hình lịch sử loài người như cách núi , sông và biển đã tác động đến các nền văn mình trên khắp thế giới hay không? Và liệu có phải ngẫu nhiên mà Hoa Kỳ, Nga và Trung Quốc dẫn đầu trong cuộc chạy đua vào không gian?
436 pages, Hardcover
First published April 27, 2023
964 people are currently reading
9747 people want to read
About the author
Tim Marshall
31 books2,534 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Tim Marshall was Diplomatic Editor and foreign correspondent for Sky News. After thirty years' experience in news reporting and presenting, he left full time news journalism to concentrate on writing and analysis.
Originally from Leeds, Tim arrived at broadcasting from the road less traveled. Not a media studies or journalism graduate, in fact not a graduate at all, after a wholly unsuccessful career as a painter and decorator he worked his way through newsroom nightshifts, and unpaid stints as a researcher and runner before eventually securing himself a foothold on the first rung of the broadcasting career ladder.
After three years as IRN's Paris correspondent and extensive work for BBC radio and TV, Tim joined Sky News. Reporting from Europe, the USA and Asia, Tim became Middle East Correspondent based in Jerusalem.
Tim also reported in the field from Bosnia, Croatia and Serbia during the Balkan wars of the 1990s. He spent the majority of the 1999 Kosovo crisis in Belgrade, where he was one of the few western journalists who stayed on to report from one of the main targets of NATO bombing raids. Tim was in Kosovo to greet the NATO troops on the day they advanced into Pristina. In recent years he covered the conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, and Syria.
He has written for many of the national newspapers including the Times, the Guardian, the Daily Telegraph, and the Sunday Times.
Bio photo credit © Jolly Thompson.
Tim Marshall was Diplomatic Editor and foreign correspondent for Sky News. After thirty years' experience in news reporting and presenting, he left full time news journalism to concentrate on writing and analysis.
Originally from Leeds, Tim arrived at broadcasting from the road less traveled. Not a media studies or journalism graduate, in fact not a graduate at all, after a wholly unsuccessful career as a painter and decorator he worked his way through newsroom nightshifts, and unpaid stints as a researcher and runner before eventually securing himself a foothold on the first rung of the broadcasting career ladder.
After three years as IRN's Paris correspondent and extensive work for BBC radio and TV, Tim joined Sky News. Reporting from Europe, the USA and Asia, Tim became Middle East Correspondent based in Jerusalem.
Tim also reported in the field from Bosnia, Croatia and Serbia during the Balkan wars of the 1990s. He spent the majority of the 1999 Kosovo crisis in Belgrade, where he was one of the few western journalists who stayed on to report from one of the main targets of NATO bombing raids. Tim was in Kosovo to greet the NATO troops on the day they advanced into Pristina. In recent years he covered the conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, and Syria.
He has written for many of the national newspapers including the Times, the Guardian, the Daily Telegraph, and the Sunday Times.
Bio photo credit © Jolly Thompson.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 571 reviews
October 22, 2023
Tim Marshall, British journalist, author and broadcaster, specialising in foreign affairs and international diplomacy is back with yet another book founded on geo-politics, and this time the venue is space! This has everything from the history of space exploration all the way to the impact of science-fiction! Yet again put together in very accessible language and from neutral fact-based stance this a must-read, dare I say, for anyone interested in the future of mankind! Yeah, that's right, three exclamation marks, that were well deserved in this on paragraph.
I can honestly say that I learned something new on every single page of this book from the fact that countries like Nigeria and Djibouti have satellites, to the impact of fraud and corruption on the Russian space programme. Yes the book has a focus on USA, China and Russia but makes notable and detailed mentions of most of the space players in the world.
After I read The Power of Geography: Ten Maps that Reveal the Future of Our World and Prisoners of Geography
I had very high hopes for this book, which have been very much met :) A superb 9 out of 12, Four Star read.
2023 read
I can honestly say that I learned something new on every single page of this book from the fact that countries like Nigeria and Djibouti have satellites, to the impact of fraud and corruption on the Russian space programme. Yes the book has a focus on USA, China and Russia but makes notable and detailed mentions of most of the space players in the world.
After I read The Power of Geography: Ten Maps that Reveal the Future of Our World and Prisoners of Geography
I had very high hopes for this book, which have been very much met :) A superb 9 out of 12, Four Star read.
2023 read
August 25, 2023
This is a super fun, entertaining book about serious topics. You really don’t expect to be laughing when reading about near future space age, but this author is incredibly witty and it fits!
I read and enjoyed “prisoners of geography” that brought valuable insights. I wasn’t expecting this book to be about space! It was very well timed though, since India successfully landed an unmanned craft on the South Pole of the moon this week.
First we get an introduction to how man got to the moon and the importance of this in relation to the Cold War. Then there is a discussion of now. Many countries are dependent on satellites for communication and intelligence and just one well placed detonation of an atom bomb could knock most of it out. Also, the moon will harbor valuable minerals that the super powers want to get at, and it will very likely be first come, first serve. The moon could have water, that could lay the foundation of a base from which humanity could explore our solar systems. We can already see the jostling for positioning and it is likely the Chinese will be on the moon within the next decade or two.
Space, the moon, our solar system will become even more important than it already is. What happens up there will also influence what goes on on earth. Read the book, it’s fun and you will learn something along the way!
I read and enjoyed “prisoners of geography” that brought valuable insights. I wasn’t expecting this book to be about space! It was very well timed though, since India successfully landed an unmanned craft on the South Pole of the moon this week.
First we get an introduction to how man got to the moon and the importance of this in relation to the Cold War. Then there is a discussion of now. Many countries are dependent on satellites for communication and intelligence and just one well placed detonation of an atom bomb could knock most of it out. Also, the moon will harbor valuable minerals that the super powers want to get at, and it will very likely be first come, first serve. The moon could have water, that could lay the foundation of a base from which humanity could explore our solar systems. We can already see the jostling for positioning and it is likely the Chinese will be on the moon within the next decade or two.
Space, the moon, our solar system will become even more important than it already is. What happens up there will also influence what goes on on earth. Read the book, it’s fun and you will learn something along the way!
May 1, 2025
کمی اضاقه گویی داشت اما هم اطلاعات خوبی به من داد هم اهمیت نگاه جدی تر به وضع قوانینی برای رخدادهای فضایی
December 11, 2023
I withdrew my original review because it was not a review of the book but of a review of it in the Times Literary Supplement sometime in May 2023 by a Brandon J. Weichert, a former congressional staffer, geopolitical analyst and senior editor at 19FortyFive.com and author of 'Winning Space: How America remains a Superpower'. Mr. Weichert's review annoyed me to such an extent that my review of this book became a denunciation of his review. In other words I made an ass of myself and I am very grateful to another goodreads reviewer, Jack Saunders, who brought it to my, very embarrassed, attention.
I have now reread Tim Marshall's book, increased my rating to four stars, and happily acknowledge that it is a timely and up-to-date examination of the question of how current political relationships, rivalries and tensions between the USA, Russia and China maybe played out in space. There is nothing wrong with his analysis or knowledge of current trends, problems, issues or personalities. With thirty years journalistic experience this is to be expected, I wouldn't dream of questioning anything he says based on that experience, but I have deep reservations about this or any work that deals with potential future events or trends in current affairs, politics, or foreign relations based purely on current trends as reflected in the news. Maybe it is because I am over 60 but I have almost limitless distrust of any pronouncement about the future holds that is not based on a limitless acknowledgement of almost universally wrong predictions, warnings, analysis, etc. such as you will find in this and Mr. Marshall's books turn out to be.
In 1972 Nixon 'opened' China and throughout the 1970's we were treated to countless books about what all this meant and the future of the vast bicycle riding communist country. Not a word is relevant to what was actually happening in China or predicted what would happen.
In 1989/90 as 'Eastern Europe' and the Soviet Union imploded you can search journalistic reports and CIA analysis up to almost the last minute before the Berlin Wall ceased to be a barrier to find anyone correctly predicting what would happen never mind anyone have suggested twelve months before that these events would be happening. All that on the spot experience aided them nothing in seeing or understanding what was actually happening.
I doubt if many people remember now how it seemed inevitable in the 1990's that Japan was going to be the dominant economic power of the 21st century. Just watch the now risible 1993 Sean Connery vehicle 'Rising Sun' where a Japanese corporations 'samurai' business culture is presented as both a threat and example for us effete Westerners. Where is Japan now? Its mighty economy was sunk by overvalued real estate. I doubt anyone sees a threat or example in Japan these days.
But the real estate fault line in Japan is instructive - China's current economy is balanced on top of a vast real estate bubble - there is vast over supply of housing, very expensive housing, in vast empty sections of cities provinces all over China. For the moment it is fuelling China's economic boom but is as much a house of cards as the estate boom that bankrupted Ireland in 2009.
But what of Russia and the USA? - well I have my doubts about current projections of how sustainable their power is. The USA is a country whose essential infrastructure - roads, bridges, dams and highways and long past crisis and into dangerously near collapse - can we be so convinced that a country that can't keep its roads from crumbling is really about to dominate space? Or Russia? It is currently unable to conquer Ukraine, Putin's boasts are showing up hollow - he of course has a powerful apparatus of control to support him but losing wars is always dangerous.
Journalists are excellent for reporting the here and now, they lamentable at placing it in context, and unlike in the past, most journalists are not based for long periods of time in the places they report on. I just don't think books like this are relevant after an immensely short time frame because they have no depth or context. I have absolutely no doubt that ten years from now not one item of importance to this author in this book will be relevant. Just remember other predictive books like 'The End of History' by Francis Fukuyama - the most important thing he failed to predict was his book's future in the dustbin of history.
I have now reread Tim Marshall's book, increased my rating to four stars, and happily acknowledge that it is a timely and up-to-date examination of the question of how current political relationships, rivalries and tensions between the USA, Russia and China maybe played out in space. There is nothing wrong with his analysis or knowledge of current trends, problems, issues or personalities. With thirty years journalistic experience this is to be expected, I wouldn't dream of questioning anything he says based on that experience, but I have deep reservations about this or any work that deals with potential future events or trends in current affairs, politics, or foreign relations based purely on current trends as reflected in the news. Maybe it is because I am over 60 but I have almost limitless distrust of any pronouncement about the future holds that is not based on a limitless acknowledgement of almost universally wrong predictions, warnings, analysis, etc. such as you will find in this and Mr. Marshall's books turn out to be.
In 1972 Nixon 'opened' China and throughout the 1970's we were treated to countless books about what all this meant and the future of the vast bicycle riding communist country. Not a word is relevant to what was actually happening in China or predicted what would happen.
In 1989/90 as 'Eastern Europe' and the Soviet Union imploded you can search journalistic reports and CIA analysis up to almost the last minute before the Berlin Wall ceased to be a barrier to find anyone correctly predicting what would happen never mind anyone have suggested twelve months before that these events would be happening. All that on the spot experience aided them nothing in seeing or understanding what was actually happening.
I doubt if many people remember now how it seemed inevitable in the 1990's that Japan was going to be the dominant economic power of the 21st century. Just watch the now risible 1993 Sean Connery vehicle 'Rising Sun' where a Japanese corporations 'samurai' business culture is presented as both a threat and example for us effete Westerners. Where is Japan now? Its mighty economy was sunk by overvalued real estate. I doubt anyone sees a threat or example in Japan these days.
But the real estate fault line in Japan is instructive - China's current economy is balanced on top of a vast real estate bubble - there is vast over supply of housing, very expensive housing, in vast empty sections of cities provinces all over China. For the moment it is fuelling China's economic boom but is as much a house of cards as the estate boom that bankrupted Ireland in 2009.
But what of Russia and the USA? - well I have my doubts about current projections of how sustainable their power is. The USA is a country whose essential infrastructure - roads, bridges, dams and highways and long past crisis and into dangerously near collapse - can we be so convinced that a country that can't keep its roads from crumbling is really about to dominate space? Or Russia? It is currently unable to conquer Ukraine, Putin's boasts are showing up hollow - he of course has a powerful apparatus of control to support him but losing wars is always dangerous.
Journalists are excellent for reporting the here and now, they lamentable at placing it in context, and unlike in the past, most journalists are not based for long periods of time in the places they report on. I just don't think books like this are relevant after an immensely short time frame because they have no depth or context. I have absolutely no doubt that ten years from now not one item of importance to this author in this book will be relevant. Just remember other predictive books like 'The End of History' by Francis Fukuyama - the most important thing he failed to predict was his book's future in the dustbin of history.
July 20, 2024
"Ami távoli volt, az most közel van, ami lassú volt, az most gyors, és a lehetetlen mára megszokottá vált."
Azt hiszed, messze van a Lehel tér a Jászaitól, csak mert 40 fokban kell oda elgyalogolnod? Gondolj arra, milyen messze van a Mars! Hogy a Naprendszer határain túli világról ne is beszéljünk. Az univerzum óriási, gigantikus és ismeretlen, évszázadok óta foglalkoztatja a pionírok fantáziáját, és történelmi léptékkel nézve most jutottunk el annak a küszöbére, hogy ezzel a vonzalommal kezdjünk is valamit. Ha az élet egy békebeli szovjet scifi lenne, akkor ez úgy nézne ki, hogy az "emberiség" mint olyan, összeteszi, amije van, aztán hajrá, nekiáll betömni a fekete lyukakat. De az van, hogy az "emberiség" csak egy absztrakció, ehelyett vannak amerikaiak, kínaiak, oroszok, meg a többiek. Mindegyiküknek megvannak a maguk stratégiai gondolataik, önző nemzeti céljaik. Számukra az űr nem pusztán retek nagy felfedezésre váró terület, hanem a rivalizálás leendő helyszíne: kitermelhető ásványi anyagok és stratégiailag fontos pontok tárháza, amiért versenyezni kell. Ez a verseny egyfelől persze produktív is lehet, mert arra inspirálja a feleket, hogy újabb és újabb fejlesztésekkel rukkoljanak elő. Másfelől viszont iszonyatos kockázat, mert egy olyan jövőt vetít elénk, ahol az országoknak az űr csak egy újabb alkalom a konfrontációra, hely, ahol úgy vadásznak egymás műholdjaira, mint a nyulakra.
Marshall ismét példaszerűen szedte össze mindazt, amit az űrkutatás múltjáról és (főleg) jövőjéről sejteni lehet. Igaz, ezt a kötetét valahogy kevésbé érzem konkrétnak, mint az eddigieket, de alighanem ez a téma törvényszerű hozadéka - hisz végtére is egy olyan kontextusba helyezi át geopolitikai tudását, ami még végtelenül képlékeny, mondhatni, a tudományos-fantasztikus irodalom határain túl helyezkedik el. De pont ezért olyan bátor és fontos vállalás - csak Orbán Viktor el ne olvassa, mert rögvest elkülönít 120 milliárdot a bugaci űrkikötő felépítésére. 2030-ra magyar embert küldünk a Jupiterre! Lesz nála egy puli meg egy Wass Albert kötet!! Tárgyalni fog a klingonokkal a békéről!! Pénz nem akadály!!!!! Úgysem az övé.
Azt hiszed, messze van a Lehel tér a Jászaitól, csak mert 40 fokban kell oda elgyalogolnod? Gondolj arra, milyen messze van a Mars! Hogy a Naprendszer határain túli világról ne is beszéljünk. Az univerzum óriási, gigantikus és ismeretlen, évszázadok óta foglalkoztatja a pionírok fantáziáját, és történelmi léptékkel nézve most jutottunk el annak a küszöbére, hogy ezzel a vonzalommal kezdjünk is valamit. Ha az élet egy békebeli szovjet scifi lenne, akkor ez úgy nézne ki, hogy az "emberiség" mint olyan, összeteszi, amije van, aztán hajrá, nekiáll betömni a fekete lyukakat. De az van, hogy az "emberiség" csak egy absztrakció, ehelyett vannak amerikaiak, kínaiak, oroszok, meg a többiek. Mindegyiküknek megvannak a maguk stratégiai gondolataik, önző nemzeti céljaik. Számukra az űr nem pusztán retek nagy felfedezésre váró terület, hanem a rivalizálás leendő helyszíne: kitermelhető ásványi anyagok és stratégiailag fontos pontok tárháza, amiért versenyezni kell. Ez a verseny egyfelől persze produktív is lehet, mert arra inspirálja a feleket, hogy újabb és újabb fejlesztésekkel rukkoljanak elő. Másfelől viszont iszonyatos kockázat, mert egy olyan jövőt vetít elénk, ahol az országoknak az űr csak egy újabb alkalom a konfrontációra, hely, ahol úgy vadásznak egymás műholdjaira, mint a nyulakra.
Marshall ismét példaszerűen szedte össze mindazt, amit az űrkutatás múltjáról és (főleg) jövőjéről sejteni lehet. Igaz, ezt a kötetét valahogy kevésbé érzem konkrétnak, mint az eddigieket, de alighanem ez a téma törvényszerű hozadéka - hisz végtére is egy olyan kontextusba helyezi át geopolitikai tudását, ami még végtelenül képlékeny, mondhatni, a tudományos-fantasztikus irodalom határain túl helyezkedik el. De pont ezért olyan bátor és fontos vállalás - csak Orbán Viktor el ne olvassa, mert rögvest elkülönít 120 milliárdot a bugaci űrkikötő felépítésére. 2030-ra magyar embert küldünk a Jupiterre! Lesz nála egy puli meg egy Wass Albert kötet!! Tárgyalni fog a klingonokkal a békéről!! Pénz nem akadály!!!!! Úgysem az övé.
July 8, 2024
Odejmuję jedną gwiazdkę za suche, krindżowe żarty. Więźniowie geografii nie byli książką z humorem i nie wiem, po co humor tutaj. Poza tym całkiem ciekawa, czegoś nowego się dowiedziałam, choć sporo książek o kosmosie za mną.
June 13, 2023
This is the first book I have read in this series by Tim Marshall and what better way of doing things than by starting in the future. This is one of those books that is about a subject that you may have no opinion on at the start but by the end of the book you’ll be chomping at the bit looking for somebody to discuss what you’ve learnt and willing to join you as a pioneer to Mars.
The book is well structured, a book about the future starts off in the past, the initial space race between USSR and USA. It explains why they were in this race and how the feat was achieved by those rather brainy sciency guys, as each milestone was reached Marshall shows us where the opposition was. This section of the book felt like a proper good page turning spy novel.
We then get the heavy part of the book, the theory on how the geography of space will work, what will be the laws and will those laws apply to countries as well as private companies? How will wars play out, what weapons will be available? Will it be possible to get everybody to work together for the good of mankind? I found this far more interesting than I expected.
Next he brings us to today and shows us the big players, the USA seem to be just holding on, China has stepped up big time and Russia…well they have Putin so any chances of progressing in space are unlikely, the question is whether they will recover. The space race has evolved from being state run as the space agencies use the private sector to help push the boundaries of technology, included are a few private space companies that have big projects of their own. There is that Amazon empire that has various plans in progress, mostly seems to be about mining everything and you have Elon Musk, who has a million great ideas but seems to always be rushing to get them done. This section ends looking at what the future holds for us, cities on the moon, on Mars, in space…cities everywhere it seems, that part seems simple, it’s the getting there that is the tricky bit.
This is a fascinating read, full of science, politics, history and geography and so very easy to follow, this is the sort of book that book-clubs were built for. This is highly recommended reading and I’ll most definitely be picking up another book in this geography series soon.
Blog review: https://felcherman.wordpress.com/2023...
The book is well structured, a book about the future starts off in the past, the initial space race between USSR and USA. It explains why they were in this race and how the feat was achieved by those rather brainy sciency guys, as each milestone was reached Marshall shows us where the opposition was. This section of the book felt like a proper good page turning spy novel.
We then get the heavy part of the book, the theory on how the geography of space will work, what will be the laws and will those laws apply to countries as well as private companies? How will wars play out, what weapons will be available? Will it be possible to get everybody to work together for the good of mankind? I found this far more interesting than I expected.
Next he brings us to today and shows us the big players, the USA seem to be just holding on, China has stepped up big time and Russia…well they have Putin so any chances of progressing in space are unlikely, the question is whether they will recover. The space race has evolved from being state run as the space agencies use the private sector to help push the boundaries of technology, included are a few private space companies that have big projects of their own. There is that Amazon empire that has various plans in progress, mostly seems to be about mining everything and you have Elon Musk, who has a million great ideas but seems to always be rushing to get them done. This section ends looking at what the future holds for us, cities on the moon, on Mars, in space…cities everywhere it seems, that part seems simple, it’s the getting there that is the tricky bit.
This is a fascinating read, full of science, politics, history and geography and so very easy to follow, this is the sort of book that book-clubs were built for. This is highly recommended reading and I’ll most definitely be picking up another book in this geography series soon.
Blog review: https://felcherman.wordpress.com/2023...
May 2, 2023
I loved the first section about the history of our understanding of space. From Ancient Greece, The Abbasids to The Renaissance up to the space race it was all fascinating when all put in its context. I also quite enjoyed the China chapter and Marshals writing style is always digestible, informative and a pleasure to read.
However this very much lacks a sense of focus present in the previous two books. I know when it comes to space it’s going to be more speculative some of which was insightful but it didn’t paint a clear picture or theme in the way he managed previously and seemed a little haphazard.
I also thing this book was very much a stretched out version of the last chapter in his last book and simply wasn’t needed. Sections towards the end giving sci-fi space battle scenarios and history of space in film just came across as add ones to get up to a decent world count.
Overall I still enjoyed it and there were some things to ponder for the future of space geopolitics, but it’s undeniably a step down from previous works and I feel this series, if you will, has run its course. I’d like to see him do another book about his war journalism in a modern conflict I think that would be more productive and I’d be very interested to read it.
However this very much lacks a sense of focus present in the previous two books. I know when it comes to space it’s going to be more speculative some of which was insightful but it didn’t paint a clear picture or theme in the way he managed previously and seemed a little haphazard.
I also thing this book was very much a stretched out version of the last chapter in his last book and simply wasn’t needed. Sections towards the end giving sci-fi space battle scenarios and history of space in film just came across as add ones to get up to a decent world count.
Overall I still enjoyed it and there were some things to ponder for the future of space geopolitics, but it’s undeniably a step down from previous works and I feel this series, if you will, has run its course. I’d like to see him do another book about his war journalism in a modern conflict I think that would be more productive and I’d be very interested to read it.
June 21, 2023
I highly recommend anything by Marshall. He has a gift for presenting the complex in a simple and accessible way.
Fascinating read.
Fascinating read.
October 10, 2025
The first half of this book is a history of human interactions with space. It may not have been necessary to go back to the naming of constellations, but it is often difficult to define a starting point for a history. Some of it was nostalgic in that I remember watching Sputnik go overhead and sitting in school watching the early American manned flights on television. There would be a small flotilla of naval vessels off the Florida coast waiting for the splash down and removal of the astronaut from the capsule. In contrast, the Russian space flights were not televised and I didn't realize until I read Marshall's account, that Yuri Gagarin had to eject from his capsule like a fighter pilot, parachute into a potato field in the lower Volga valley and request access to a telephone from the locals to let his superiors in Moscow know that he was back.
The second half of the book is what we have come to expect from Marshall: an analysis of various nation's strengths and weaknesses in utilizing space and defending that usage from competitors. His predictions of what will happen in space in the event of a major war are somewhat sobering. At a minimum, motorists who never learned to read a map because they had GPS to guide them, will be wandering aimlessly with no bars on their phones, as communications satellites will be among the first casualties. His descriptions of the timetables for development of the moon and Mars may seem far-fetched to those of us who have been waiting 50 years for it, but his book has made me think I may have a chance to see human occupation of the moon and exploration of Mars.
The second half of the book is what we have come to expect from Marshall: an analysis of various nation's strengths and weaknesses in utilizing space and defending that usage from competitors. His predictions of what will happen in space in the event of a major war are somewhat sobering. At a minimum, motorists who never learned to read a map because they had GPS to guide them, will be wandering aimlessly with no bars on their phones, as communications satellites will be among the first casualties. His descriptions of the timetables for development of the moon and Mars may seem far-fetched to those of us who have been waiting 50 years for it, but his book has made me think I may have a chance to see human occupation of the moon and exploration of Mars.
May 10, 2023
This book should have been a chapter. When a book called “The Future of…” starts with the Big Bang, it’s never a good sign.
Otherwise easy and comprehensive writing, important themes and clear idea repeated over 250 pages.
Otherwise easy and comprehensive writing, important themes and clear idea repeated over 250 pages.
November 16, 2023
This book was interesting but kept dropping bombs like “the moon has the perfect fuel source for nuclear fission reactors and could power all of Earth for 10,000 years” or “a rogue nation could launch a nuclear bomb into low orbit and take out every single satellite in operation and leave a radiation field satellites can’t function in for years to come” that just made me unnerved
For the USA being so ahead in space technology you would think we’d have politics and human rights figured out
For the USA being so ahead in space technology you would think we’d have politics and human rights figured out
September 17, 2023
Space exploration is not a topic I’m particularly interested in but I’ve seen some of the authors other books and thought it might be interesting.
I think the most glaring problem is it feels quite clear that the author is not an expert in this (extremely complicated) topic. Instead, he compensates with seemingly irrelevant points and lame attempts at humor throughout. Oh well.
I think the most glaring problem is it feels quite clear that the author is not an expert in this (extremely complicated) topic. Instead, he compensates with seemingly irrelevant points and lame attempts at humor throughout. Oh well.
October 5, 2024
Usually space is not really my jam but I learnt quite a bit of where we are at with space exploration and where we are going
July 18, 2023
Wir wissen alle, dass die Ressourcen auf diesem Planeten endlich sind. Wenn wir unseren Lebensstandard halten wollen und auch künftigen Generationen ermöglichen möchten, müssen wir uns daher woanders nach Rohstoffen umsehen. Eine naheliegende Lösung sind dabei die anderen Himmelskörper in unserem Sonnensystem. Der nächstgelegene ist natürlich der Mond und er ist rohstoffreicher, als die meisten von uns wahrscheinlich vermuten. Der Aufbau von Rohstoffminen auf dem Mond mag für viele noch wie ferne Zukunftsmusik klingen, aber die Pläne dazu sind in vollem Gange. Und das dies nicht ohne internationalen Wettkampf um die Vorherrschaft einhergehen wird, ist vorauszusehen.
Tim Marshall beschreibt in Die Geografie der Zukunft sehr anschaulich und auch für Leser*innen mit wenig naturwissenschaftlichen Kenntnissen äußerst verständlich, welche Herausforderungen und Probleme dabei in den nächsten Jahrzehnten auf uns zukommen werden. Denn es geht nicht nur um die technischen Details, es gibt noch eine ganz andere Schwierigkeit: der Weltraum ist noch ein relativ rechtsfreier Raum. Es wurden zwar Verträge aufgesetzt. Diese wurden aber natürlich wieder nicht von allen Ländern anerkannt und sind häufig auch sehr ungenau formuliert und mit vielen Ausnahmen. Wer also einen Beruf mit Zukunft sucht, sollte Anwalt für Weltraumrecht werden.
Genau dieser Mangel an klaren Regeln, das Wettrennen um die besten Plätze und Ressourcen oder auch Platzmangel im Erdorbit sind potenzielle Konfliktherde. Gleichzeitig erlaubt es die heutige Technik schon, Krieg im Weltraum zu führen. Ein wesentlicher Aspekt dabei ist das (Zer-)Stören feindlicher Satteliten, von der Erde aus durch Raketen oder durch einen gewollten Zusammenstoß mit anderen Satteliten.
Einige der in diesem Buch dargestellten Szenarien waren mir bekannt, doch es ist auch vieles Neues dabei. Ich fand es sehr spannend zu lesen, insbesondere da es sehr aktuell ist. Es zeigt beispielsweise, welche Auswirkungen der Ukrainekrieg auf die internationale Zusammenarbeit im Weltraum hat und beschäftigt sich mit der Frage, welche Auswirkungen der Einsatz der Starlink-Satteliten von SpaceX hätte haben können.
Tim Marshall beschreibt in Die Geografie der Zukunft sehr anschaulich und auch für Leser*innen mit wenig naturwissenschaftlichen Kenntnissen äußerst verständlich, welche Herausforderungen und Probleme dabei in den nächsten Jahrzehnten auf uns zukommen werden. Denn es geht nicht nur um die technischen Details, es gibt noch eine ganz andere Schwierigkeit: der Weltraum ist noch ein relativ rechtsfreier Raum. Es wurden zwar Verträge aufgesetzt. Diese wurden aber natürlich wieder nicht von allen Ländern anerkannt und sind häufig auch sehr ungenau formuliert und mit vielen Ausnahmen. Wer also einen Beruf mit Zukunft sucht, sollte Anwalt für Weltraumrecht werden.
Genau dieser Mangel an klaren Regeln, das Wettrennen um die besten Plätze und Ressourcen oder auch Platzmangel im Erdorbit sind potenzielle Konfliktherde. Gleichzeitig erlaubt es die heutige Technik schon, Krieg im Weltraum zu führen. Ein wesentlicher Aspekt dabei ist das (Zer-)Stören feindlicher Satteliten, von der Erde aus durch Raketen oder durch einen gewollten Zusammenstoß mit anderen Satteliten.
Einige der in diesem Buch dargestellten Szenarien waren mir bekannt, doch es ist auch vieles Neues dabei. Ich fand es sehr spannend zu lesen, insbesondere da es sehr aktuell ist. Es zeigt beispielsweise, welche Auswirkungen der Ukrainekrieg auf die internationale Zusammenarbeit im Weltraum hat und beschäftigt sich mit der Frage, welche Auswirkungen der Einsatz der Starlink-Satteliten von SpaceX hätte haben können.
September 15, 2024
Der inzwischen fünfte Band dieser geopolitischen Sachbuchreihe führt diesmal in den Weltraum. Neben einem Abriss der bisherigen Aktivitäten der Weltraumnationen werden auch die zukünftigen Ambitionen und Konfliktpotenziale dargestellt. Das ist gewohnt gut erläutert und das Potenzial für Auseinandersetzungen wird einem erst mal so richtig bewusst. Das Einzige, was ich bei den anderen Bänden interessanter fand: Trotz der unendlichen Weiten gibt es wenige strategische Räume im All, die irgendwie alle interessieren, deswegen wiederholt sich so manches.
December 19, 2023
I enjoyed this book because it offered an interesting perspective on the future potentials of space, but at times felt more like a history of space exploration than one of Marshall’s usual geopolitics books.
Compared to previous works like Prisoners/Power of Geography, I have to say I was slightly disappointed by this book. Perhaps that is because this is very speculative stuff, but this is still overall an interesting read which offers much food for thought.
Compared to previous works like Prisoners/Power of Geography, I have to say I was slightly disappointed by this book. Perhaps that is because this is very speculative stuff, but this is still overall an interesting read which offers much food for thought.
June 12, 2023
An eye-opening book about space development. These few years the media has been focusing on geopolitics that there is not much attention devoted to space discovery. It's unbelievable that human made such a big progress in the last two decades.
Worth reading. Better than focus our attention on Russia and China. I bet both would no longer exist as a country by 2060 the latest.
Worth reading. Better than focus our attention on Russia and China. I bet both would no longer exist as a country by 2060 the latest.
February 8, 2024
Great insight into the future of tech and space. Sci-fi becoming realities?🫢🤔
January 8, 2025
Francamente aborrecido. Ao que consta, foram os babilónios que inventaram a semana de sete dias.
April 26, 2025
Only the blind fail to see the direction in which humanity is moving. And though this progress unfolds more slowly than once imagined—back in 1969, many believed that by 2025 we would already be living on other planets—our destiny will either be multi-planetary, or there will be no destiny at all. Sadly, wherever humans venture, they carry with them their psychological burdens. We bring along our fears and needs, allowing them to shape and often hinder our journey through the cosmos. The first glimpse of this truth is found in low Earth orbit, where spy satellites, sabotage devices, military attack satellites, and anti-satellite weapons now circle the planet. It is only a short step from there to the deployment of nuclear arms in space, as our age-old battles over Earth's surface threaten to spill into the heavens—into the crust of the Moon, the crust of Mars, and beyond, without end. Competition—a double-edged sword—has fueled our progress and prosperity, but it holds within it the power to take all of it away, or even to destroy us entirely.
July 23, 2025
Tim Marshall hat mich wieder überzeugt. Ein sehr spannendes Buch, welches hochkomplexe Sachverhalte einfach erklärt.
Geo- und Sicherheitspolitik im Weltraum ist und wird immer relevanter und auch, wenn Marshall viele Gefahren, offene Fragen im internationalen Machtkampf und Unklarheiten für die Zukunft offenbart, zeigt er auch immer wieder auf wieviel Potential auch in der Entdeckung des Weltraums und wissenschaftlichem und technischen Fortschritt steckt - und wieviel mehr möglich ist, wenn wir es schaffen (zumindest in Teilen) nationale Bestrebungen beiseite zu legen und gemeinsam zu handeln.
Leseempfehlung für eigentlich alle, die ein gewisses Grundwissen in dem Bereich haben möchten (und eigentlich alle politisch interessierten).
Geo- und Sicherheitspolitik im Weltraum ist und wird immer relevanter und auch, wenn Marshall viele Gefahren, offene Fragen im internationalen Machtkampf und Unklarheiten für die Zukunft offenbart, zeigt er auch immer wieder auf wieviel Potential auch in der Entdeckung des Weltraums und wissenschaftlichem und technischen Fortschritt steckt - und wieviel mehr möglich ist, wenn wir es schaffen (zumindest in Teilen) nationale Bestrebungen beiseite zu legen und gemeinsam zu handeln.
Leseempfehlung für eigentlich alle, die ein gewisses Grundwissen in dem Bereich haben möchten (und eigentlich alle politisch interessierten).
May 1, 2023
“To confine our attention to terrestrial matters would limit the human spirit”.
Stephen Hawking
“What we know is a drop. What we don’t know is an ocean”.
Isaac Newton
This is the latest (third) instalment in the author’s “Prisoners of Geography” series, which gives a fascinating account of how geographic realities influence the decision making of nation-states. In this instalment the author opens the question of how the drive to discover, explore space will lead to great new opportunities but also very real flashpoints between the great powers on Earth.
“It has been a long time getting from there to here” as the cheesy and divisive theme song to Star Trek Enterprise begins. The author starts the book by charting the historical course of how we humans have over generations sought to understand what is beyond our atmosphere. At first, I was a bit impatient with this chapter, having heard much of it before. But I gradually come to appreciate the point the author was trying to make and the accessible way they wrote about it. Essentially mankind has been building from one detective case from another. Using careful observation, recording those same observations and drawing conclusions from them. As time has gone on or methods have improved. Different empires learned from each other. The Romans learned from the Greeks. The Muslim Empires learned from both of them. Christian powers learned from all of them and so on. Each new discovery owed a debt to not only the curiosity, but also the bravery of those who worked hard to bring them about. Bravery was important because all too often these discoveries went against the static worlds imposed by organised religion. The boundaries of what we know have been pushed even in relatively recent years. I was amazed to find out in this book that it was only in 1992 when the existence of planets beyond our Solar System were confirmed.
The bulk of this book describes summarises the capabilities of the so-called big three space powers: US, China and Russia. All of them have some form of space-directed military capability including ground launched anti-missile weapons. To varying degrees all of them have looked into the potential for blinding, dazzling or physically disabling enemy satellites through the use of other satellites. The author has pointed out a few hair-raising times where certain powers have made their satellites close on a rivals, seemingly as a test for their capabilities and to see how their rivals would react to such a provocation.
Just as interesting was the author’s discussion of the rise of smaller powers in bringing about pretty impressive achievements in space in their own right. These range from Israel’s automated Moon landings to Japan’s numerous projects including building the next generation of Moon Rovers.
The author doesn’t take the question from the simple binary question of whether we should of shouldn’t be invested in Space. His convincing argument is that we already are, so we need to think very carefully about how we manage the relationship between the powers to minimise escalation. After all, the dizzying amount of satellites in orbit alone show that we are already heavily invested in Space. So the imperative is on us to keep the peace likely through new types of arms agreements, and making sure that as few players as possible feel cheated out of any settlement out of the spoils of Space.
Overall, I found this a fascinating, informative, entertaining and thoughtful book. The author has a certain style of writing that can sometimes come off as cheesy, but I appreciate as making for lighter and more accessible reading some pretty heavy subject matter. Any author who even lightly tries to make concepts such as quantum entanglement more accessible is a braver writer than I. I also appreciate that he tries to emphasise the importance and uniqueness of some of the figures that have pushed us along on our journey to the stars. For instance, Konstantin Tsiolkovsky, the father of Russian rocketry, conceived of the invention of rockets and space elevators even before the Wright Brothers successfully tested their first airplane.
I think the author could have made more of a point about the benefits for humanity of investing in space, from getting Rare Earth minerals to putting polluting industry out of reach out of the atmosphere. But then one can argue that he strongly made the flipside point that the Space genie cannot be put back into the bottle. That means that staying out of this game can lead to rival powers making life difficult for us. But perhaps one of the last points the author makes is also their most powerful. Mankind has a natural curiosity, and it has got us to some wonderous places before. And now there is so much potentially open for us to wonder at.
Stephen Hawking
“What we know is a drop. What we don’t know is an ocean”.
Isaac Newton
This is the latest (third) instalment in the author’s “Prisoners of Geography” series, which gives a fascinating account of how geographic realities influence the decision making of nation-states. In this instalment the author opens the question of how the drive to discover, explore space will lead to great new opportunities but also very real flashpoints between the great powers on Earth.
“It has been a long time getting from there to here” as the cheesy and divisive theme song to Star Trek Enterprise begins. The author starts the book by charting the historical course of how we humans have over generations sought to understand what is beyond our atmosphere. At first, I was a bit impatient with this chapter, having heard much of it before. But I gradually come to appreciate the point the author was trying to make and the accessible way they wrote about it. Essentially mankind has been building from one detective case from another. Using careful observation, recording those same observations and drawing conclusions from them. As time has gone on or methods have improved. Different empires learned from each other. The Romans learned from the Greeks. The Muslim Empires learned from both of them. Christian powers learned from all of them and so on. Each new discovery owed a debt to not only the curiosity, but also the bravery of those who worked hard to bring them about. Bravery was important because all too often these discoveries went against the static worlds imposed by organised religion. The boundaries of what we know have been pushed even in relatively recent years. I was amazed to find out in this book that it was only in 1992 when the existence of planets beyond our Solar System were confirmed.
The bulk of this book describes summarises the capabilities of the so-called big three space powers: US, China and Russia. All of them have some form of space-directed military capability including ground launched anti-missile weapons. To varying degrees all of them have looked into the potential for blinding, dazzling or physically disabling enemy satellites through the use of other satellites. The author has pointed out a few hair-raising times where certain powers have made their satellites close on a rivals, seemingly as a test for their capabilities and to see how their rivals would react to such a provocation.
Just as interesting was the author’s discussion of the rise of smaller powers in bringing about pretty impressive achievements in space in their own right. These range from Israel’s automated Moon landings to Japan’s numerous projects including building the next generation of Moon Rovers.
The author doesn’t take the question from the simple binary question of whether we should of shouldn’t be invested in Space. His convincing argument is that we already are, so we need to think very carefully about how we manage the relationship between the powers to minimise escalation. After all, the dizzying amount of satellites in orbit alone show that we are already heavily invested in Space. So the imperative is on us to keep the peace likely through new types of arms agreements, and making sure that as few players as possible feel cheated out of any settlement out of the spoils of Space.
Overall, I found this a fascinating, informative, entertaining and thoughtful book. The author has a certain style of writing that can sometimes come off as cheesy, but I appreciate as making for lighter and more accessible reading some pretty heavy subject matter. Any author who even lightly tries to make concepts such as quantum entanglement more accessible is a braver writer than I. I also appreciate that he tries to emphasise the importance and uniqueness of some of the figures that have pushed us along on our journey to the stars. For instance, Konstantin Tsiolkovsky, the father of Russian rocketry, conceived of the invention of rockets and space elevators even before the Wright Brothers successfully tested their first airplane.
I think the author could have made more of a point about the benefits for humanity of investing in space, from getting Rare Earth minerals to putting polluting industry out of reach out of the atmosphere. But then one can argue that he strongly made the flipside point that the Space genie cannot be put back into the bottle. That means that staying out of this game can lead to rival powers making life difficult for us. But perhaps one of the last points the author makes is also their most powerful. Mankind has a natural curiosity, and it has got us to some wonderous places before. And now there is so much potentially open for us to wonder at.
October 7, 2025
A bit dull, and I felt that the author was padding the word count at times with not so interesting tidbits. But the book does provide some insights into how we can gain from investing in space exploration and travel.
April 27, 2023
Space: the final frontier. These are the pages of The Future of Geography, by Tim Marshall. Its 320-page mission: to explore not only our world but the strange new worlds that we, as a species attempt to seek out and exploit. To seek out new life and new civilizations (if any exist). To boldly go where no book has gone before!
In The Future of Geography, the latest and fascinating book by foreign affairs expert and author, Tim Marshall sets the scene for mankind’s futuristic ventures into geopolitical space ventures and our exploitation of not just the world around, us but also the final frontier, space.
The Space Age has existed throughout the majority of our recent history, being a predominant factor in our world since the 1950s, but Marshall takes us back to its earliest roots in the early twentieth century and its development through the Nazi missile program during World War Two under such auspices of Werner Von Braun, who became instrumental in the development of NASAs own space program, which ultimately led to the landing on the moon in 1969.
The Future of Geography, however, doesn’t just explore the future of space exploration but explores our earliest expeditions and the growing competition between the USA and USSR who based their own expeditions on the pioneering engineer Konstantin Tsiolkovsky, whose equations helped the USSR dominate space throughout the 1950s and 1960s.
However, author Tim Marshall, does not stop there, and highlighting the now three dominant nations in a modern ‘Space Race’ (China, Russia and the USA) we explore the modern pioneers of not just these nations, but also the growing private enterprises of space exploration led by Richard Branson and Elon Musk and the developing countries eager to take their place in this new frontier. What we see in The Future of Geography is that our world geography is certainly expanding beyond the realms of our tiny planet.
The Future of Geography breathes a fresh and invigorating life into a subject that remains constant in the eye of many people, and Tim Marshall certainly provides an easily accessible and entertaining narrative that not only gives the reader a glimpse into this sphere which has dominated over the past half-century but also a glimpse into humanity’s place in the Final Frontier.
In The Future of Geography, the latest and fascinating book by foreign affairs expert and author, Tim Marshall sets the scene for mankind’s futuristic ventures into geopolitical space ventures and our exploitation of not just the world around, us but also the final frontier, space.
The Space Age has existed throughout the majority of our recent history, being a predominant factor in our world since the 1950s, but Marshall takes us back to its earliest roots in the early twentieth century and its development through the Nazi missile program during World War Two under such auspices of Werner Von Braun, who became instrumental in the development of NASAs own space program, which ultimately led to the landing on the moon in 1969.
The Future of Geography, however, doesn’t just explore the future of space exploration but explores our earliest expeditions and the growing competition between the USA and USSR who based their own expeditions on the pioneering engineer Konstantin Tsiolkovsky, whose equations helped the USSR dominate space throughout the 1950s and 1960s.
However, author Tim Marshall, does not stop there, and highlighting the now three dominant nations in a modern ‘Space Race’ (China, Russia and the USA) we explore the modern pioneers of not just these nations, but also the growing private enterprises of space exploration led by Richard Branson and Elon Musk and the developing countries eager to take their place in this new frontier. What we see in The Future of Geography is that our world geography is certainly expanding beyond the realms of our tiny planet.
The Future of Geography breathes a fresh and invigorating life into a subject that remains constant in the eye of many people, and Tim Marshall certainly provides an easily accessible and entertaining narrative that not only gives the reader a glimpse into this sphere which has dominated over the past half-century but also a glimpse into humanity’s place in the Final Frontier.
November 24, 2024
yeah this was bleak for me. The way that Marshall seems unwilling to challenge anything about the militarisation and commercialisation of space is just bleak. even more bleak when he just uncritically buys into billionaire's space colonisation ego projects. Marshall honestly seems more interested in the cool space tech (or rather, the aesthetics of space warfare) than the actual political consequences of space.
July 5, 2023
The dullest book I have ever read
August 25, 2025
2.5/5
The Future of Geography by Tim Marshall is a very good summation of what he calls 'astropolitics' (politics in/of space). The author outlines a host of near-term future scenarios that are really well thought out and are probably very realistic.
Part 1 of this book is the weakest. The first of two chapters summarises the history of space exploration from the V-2 rocket to Apollo 11 to the ISS, which is written better and in more interesting detail in dozens of other books.
The second chapter briefly covers the issues of space settlement. My issues with this chapter are summed up perfectly by Kelly and Zach Weinersmith in A City on Mars. Essentially, most space settlement literature is written by enthusiasts who hand wave the myriad issues by saying something along the lines of 'Elon'll will fix it!' Safe to say this book hasn't dated well in that regard, and it was only published in 2023.
Most of part 2 concerns itself with the capabilities of various space powers from the big three (USA, China, Russia) to smaller nations (UAE, North and South Korea etc) and 'space blocs' (ESA, African Space Agency). These chapters outlined the philosophies of each of these groups in an easily digestible way and the author makes it clear how both conflict and cooperation can arise from past, present, and future actions of all these nations in the theatre of space.
However, the author spends large parts of these chapters essentially listing things these groups have done: they built so-and-so rocket; they want to launch x number of satellites by 20xx; their space station can hold y astro-/cosmo-/taikonauts. In some cases, this is useful to compare the capabilities between two groups it sometimes seems like a way to arbitrarily beef up the word count. In fact, during my astrophysics degree, I did exactly the same thing on some assignments on sometimes the exact same topics. It was like I was rereading some of my group project notes!
The author actually has a tendency throughout this book to just surprise you with big numbers that are meaningless to you because you're not the specific type of engineer/scientist qualified to deal with these kinds of figures (neither is the author btw).
The 3rd and final part sets out a couple of scenarios whereby conflict could arise between spacefaring nations, which are again probably realistic and easy to imagine given current world events. The Soace Wars chapter in part 3 is likely the best chapter in the book because of this.
An additional thing to note about this and his other books is the author's very clear centre-right bias. It obviously plays less of a role in this book compared to others, but it's still there.
Also, most books like this one are often just wrong. Books like this are speculative at best and are more so given the unwarranted hype given to figures like Musk, Bezos, and Co. when it comes to space. Take every date and prediction for the future with a pinch of salt. Add a decade to any date related to Mars. Add another few decades or a fat century when they call some future project a city.
A final damning point is the lack of proper referencing. Every non-fiction book that takes itself as seriously as this one should have actual references throughout.
In short, this is a 150-ish page book on 'astropolitics' with a 60-page introduction and a bunch of clutter hidden in the chapters with merit. Read it if you like space and politics.
For me, it's not quite as low as a 2, but I've complained about too much here for it to be a 3, so it's a 2.5/5.
The Future of Geography by Tim Marshall is a very good summation of what he calls 'astropolitics' (politics in/of space). The author outlines a host of near-term future scenarios that are really well thought out and are probably very realistic.
Part 1 of this book is the weakest. The first of two chapters summarises the history of space exploration from the V-2 rocket to Apollo 11 to the ISS, which is written better and in more interesting detail in dozens of other books.
The second chapter briefly covers the issues of space settlement. My issues with this chapter are summed up perfectly by Kelly and Zach Weinersmith in A City on Mars. Essentially, most space settlement literature is written by enthusiasts who hand wave the myriad issues by saying something along the lines of 'Elon'll will fix it!' Safe to say this book hasn't dated well in that regard, and it was only published in 2023.
Most of part 2 concerns itself with the capabilities of various space powers from the big three (USA, China, Russia) to smaller nations (UAE, North and South Korea etc) and 'space blocs' (ESA, African Space Agency). These chapters outlined the philosophies of each of these groups in an easily digestible way and the author makes it clear how both conflict and cooperation can arise from past, present, and future actions of all these nations in the theatre of space.
However, the author spends large parts of these chapters essentially listing things these groups have done: they built so-and-so rocket; they want to launch x number of satellites by 20xx; their space station can hold y astro-/cosmo-/taikonauts. In some cases, this is useful to compare the capabilities between two groups it sometimes seems like a way to arbitrarily beef up the word count. In fact, during my astrophysics degree, I did exactly the same thing on some assignments on sometimes the exact same topics. It was like I was rereading some of my group project notes!
The author actually has a tendency throughout this book to just surprise you with big numbers that are meaningless to you because you're not the specific type of engineer/scientist qualified to deal with these kinds of figures (neither is the author btw).
The 3rd and final part sets out a couple of scenarios whereby conflict could arise between spacefaring nations, which are again probably realistic and easy to imagine given current world events. The Soace Wars chapter in part 3 is likely the best chapter in the book because of this.
An additional thing to note about this and his other books is the author's very clear centre-right bias. It obviously plays less of a role in this book compared to others, but it's still there.
Also, most books like this one are often just wrong. Books like this are speculative at best and are more so given the unwarranted hype given to figures like Musk, Bezos, and Co. when it comes to space. Take every date and prediction for the future with a pinch of salt. Add a decade to any date related to Mars. Add another few decades or a fat century when they call some future project a city.
A final damning point is the lack of proper referencing. Every non-fiction book that takes itself as seriously as this one should have actual references throughout.
In short, this is a 150-ish page book on 'astropolitics' with a 60-page introduction and a bunch of clutter hidden in the chapters with merit. Read it if you like space and politics.
For me, it's not quite as low as a 2, but I've complained about too much here for it to be a 3, so it's a 2.5/5.
November 7, 2023
An interesting and informative look at the race to claim the future y way of geography. Tim Marshall does a great job of charting the course of history in space by the human race. He takes us through to the present and the countries jockeying upfront in the race to put a stake in the ground in space, while grappling with the challenges of sustaining life there. He speculates and imagines future challenges grounded in science, politics, and the human propensity to dominant. This is a well written and easily digestible book about the future of geography in space. I leaned a lot and it’ll be interesting to see how the next five to ten years unfold. I definitely recommend this book. Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.
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