* Aimed squarely at a popular audience, this is a gripping distillation of a complex subject by an established authority on global affairs.; * This has all the makings of a big hit - significant rights deals already secured in the US and Germany, with more expected in Europe and the Far East.; * Tim's previous book attracted a lot of press attention and even more is expected for this title; he is also in talks with TV production companies to develop a series based on the book.; * Perfect for all of those people who would like to understand a little more about what they hear on the news every day.

Tim Marshall is a leading authority on foreign affairs with more than 25 years of reporting experience. He was diplomatic editor at Sky News, and before that was working for the BBC and LBC/IRN radio. He has reported from thirty countries and covered the conflicts in Croatia, Bosnia, Macedonia, Kosovo, Afghanistan, Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, and Israel. His blog Foreign Matters was shortlisted for the Orwell Prize 2010. He has written for newspapers including The Times, Sunday Times, Guardian, Independent and Daily Telegraph, and is the author of Shadowplay: The Overthrow of Slobodan Milosevic (a bestseller in former Yugoslavia) and "Dirty Northern B*st*rds!" and Other Tales from the Terraces: The Story of Britain' s Football Chants. He is the founder and editor of TheWhatandtheWhy.com.

Foreword by Sir John Scarlett KCMG OBE viiIntroduction ix1 Russia 12 China 273 USA 534 Western Europe 755 Africa 956 The Middle East 1197 India and Pakistan 1538 Korea and Japan 1779 Latin America 19710 The Arctic 221Conclusion 237Bibliography 241Acknowledgements 247Index 249