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Reddit mentions of Prisoners of Geography: Ten Maps That Explain Everything About the World (1) (Politics of Place)
Sentiment score: 3
Reddit mentions: 6
We found 6 Reddit mentions of Prisoners of Geography: Ten Maps That Explain Everything About the World (1) (Politics of Place). Here are the top ones.
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- Scribner Book Company
Features:
Specs:
| Height | 9 Inches |
| Length | 6 Inches |
| Number of items | 1 |
| Release date | October 2016 |
| Weight | 0.7 Pounds |
| Width | 0.9 Inches |
I agree with you there shouldn't be an "obligation" to be patriotic, but I'd like to present a different method of evaluation that you might find useful.
First off, I'm sorry you were born in a 3rd world country. That sucks. There's no way around that.
Let's start with a scenario. If your child grew up to be a clerk at a grocery store, would you be proud of them? Would you brag about their accomplishments. Probably not. There's no shame in being a grocery store clerk, but it's also not really an achievement either.
What if they had autism? Then would you be proud? They improved their functionality and communication skills and were able to hold down a part-time job. Would that make you proud.
Sometimes it's about doing the best with the hand you've been dealt.
There's an excellent book I'd like to recommend called Prisoners of Geography. It's short and enlightening. It proposes a theory that most of the macroeconomics and politics of the world can be explained through geography. Why does Russia care about the Crimea peninsula? Because it gives them a warm water port, and water is still the cheapest way of shipping goods. Same reason they invaded Korea a long time ago. Why is Africa so behind economically and technologically? They have almost no navigable rivers that reach into the center of the country, and, again, water is the cheapest way to transport goods. So their geography is what keeps them limited (and why Egypt was able to control so much territory for so long. Thanks Nile River!)
Of course this is not a complete answer, but it's a perspective that has been informing my world view few a couple of years now, and I've found it very helpful.
Look through your country's history. Look at where they are physically, and what they've had to endure. Earthquakes? Tsunamis? Raving-mad dictators? Have their hardships been extreme?
Iceland completely runs on renewable energy. Is that amazing? Yes! But is it beyond belief? Not really, considering how small their population and energy demands are. Their needs are small, so they were able to fit their needs with a better solution.
America is far from 100% renewable energy, but we also have way, way more people. So is it far to use the same metric?
Research your nations history and judge them from that. Judge them from what they were able to accomplish with the resources they had available. The disasters they had to overcome. If you let me know what nation you're from, I'll help you. I'm sure there's something to be proud of.
Nationalism shouldn't be blind, and you've made it clear that you won't be blind to it. But it can be developed through understanding. That's a more secure, hearty type of nationalism that changes countries for the better. Look for that.
I would first off recommend checking out the /r/geopolitics Wiki for its page on books. From there, I recommend introductory books that really help explain the geopolitical situation of the world in a cursory fashion. Consider:
For a larger list, I can recommend our 2019 Geopolitical Reading list found here:
A really big one beyond a buffer state is actually water, the two most important rivers in all of China have origin points in the Tibetain mountain highlands. This makes control of the territory a strategic need for China as were Tibet to impeed the water flow in any way it could cause a drastic impact on the economy of China. < [Source:](https://www.amazon.com/Prisoners-Geography-Explain-Everything-Politics/dp/1501121472?SubscriptionId=AKIAILSHYYTFIVPWUY6Q&amp;tag=duckduckgo-fpas-20&amp;linkCode=xm2&amp;camp=2025&amp;creative=165953&amp;creativeASIN=1501121472 https://www.amazon.com/Prisoners-Geography-Explain-Everything-Politics/dp/1501121472?SubscriptionId=AKIAILSHYYTFIVPWUY6Q&amp;tag=duckduckgo-fpas-20&amp;linkCode=xm2&amp;camp=2025&amp;creative=165953&amp;creativeASIN=1501121472&gt;)
https://www.amazon.com/Prisoners-Geography-Explain-Everything-Politics/dp/1501121472
It sounds like this video is much based on Tim Marshall's Prisoners of Geography. If you are interested in these ideas of how geopolitically rich the US is compared to almost any other country (other than China and India) I would highly recommend checking out the book.
https://www.amazon.com/Prisoners-Geography-Explain-Everything-Politics/dp/1501121472#atwl_secondary_view_1536105490513