“light from the East” (original title: “Silkroads”) had landed Peter Frankopan a few years ago, a Coup. He told the story of a world in which Europe is not the center, but the periphery was, and repeated the cultures of Western and Central Asia from the fog of our ignorance. Now, the Oxford historian jumps with a universal claim – the specialty here is actually Byzantinist – in the “present and future of our world”, as the subtitle of his new book.

His Thesis: The domination of Europe, which began with the discoveries of America and the sea route to India, by technological progress and the self-destruction in two world wars ended consolidated, it was, historically considered, only a game. China, once the center of the world, will occupy this place again. To do this, it uses the “new Silk road”, which sets Frankopan, in the Plural, because it is less of a road as an infrastructure mesh of roads, railway tracks, ports, Terminals and factories.

“We ate through a Transformation and geopolitical shift of epochal measure and epochal character,” writes Frankopan, which is equal to an example of his dramatising, gimmicky tone. Europe is preoccupied with itself: Brexit, the growing right-wing populism, damaged the rule of law in Poland and Hungary. The United States tumbling in the Trump mess and develop a strong isolationist tendencies.

Everything is connected

In the East, however, shows the opposite tendency: the desire of many States to cooperate. The results in increased neighbor cooperation (such as in the case of the Central Asian States, which were for long suspicious of each other abgruben literally the water), in supranational institutions or transnational infrastructure projects.

Here, the author provides a Wealth of examples, Figures and Details, to show that in the new world everything depends on everything else. The increasing has led the prosperity of the Chinese middle class to a decline of Donkey populations in Tajikistan. Because of the donkey hides in China popular alternative healing is obtained in the medium, among other things, increase the Libido. Donkey but in poorer countries, as beasts of burden is still essential, so that in some African countries a ban on export of donkeys to China was imposed – to which, of course, a corresponding black market.

So vividly Frankopans representation is not always the case. Most of the time he joins a project to the other, always draws new lines between the States, the lines with new electricity, Railway tracks, or Pipelines want to your development. The book is then similar to a colorful map of the world, which is overwritten with the graphic characters to be unrecognizable.

For the overall picture, the big picture, then, however, a Name: China. A Global Player with a clear strategy. That goes beyond the vital interest to maintain the huge demand for raw materials, food and energy through land purchases, long-term lease contracts, but also the military control of the most important shipping routes. Behind it is the will to dominate the world culturally; of Frankopan is convinced.

Indebtedness

the author of The Chinese Propaganda is definitely not on the glue; he calls problems in the actual flow of the pledged funds, and indicates that the recipient countries massively and becoming over-indebted. The self-interest but prevails most, he believes and takes the example of Pakistan, a country in which China invested a lot and improved infrastructure for an increase of the GDP have taken care of. The deep sea port of Gwadar has it done to him: Gwadar could become the “Shanghai of the West”.

The actual West Frankopan some masses looks helpless in the face of China’s strategy. Especially in the U.S., Trump would have lost the foreign-policy competence and verdürben it by pressure, and Arrogance with your allies. The search for new, in addition to China, also in Russia. Turkey, India, and even Saudi Arabia purchased military equipment from the Russians.

The new world is one in which you can choose. No choice, however, is doing nothing, or head-in-the-Sand-Stuck for the West, where the author is missing a vision for the future. Finally, the world was in its present phase of Transition to a new bipolar structure much too uncertain, the risks of an unwanted military conflict is much too large.

In Djibouti in the Horn of Africa, for instance, the military of many States have to step literally on the feet of the French, Turks, Japanese, Americans and Chinese; not far from the Emirates and Qatar. Here is one of the newer versions of the Great Game is taking place, says the author, and doubts that the West knows how to play it.

The book is not a great throw, to quickly written, hastily translated and poorly structured. The interested contemporaries, but there is a lot of information that you’ll find in the daily newspaper.

(editing Tamedia)

Created: 27.04.2019, 11:21 PM