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Hinterlands: The New Cold War Brewing at the Peripheries of the West
Not yet published
Expected 21 Jul 26A Pulitzer grantee’s timely work of reportage from the borderlands of Europe, Russia, and Turkey, where brewing conflicts mark a significant fault line in shifting geopolitics.
Why have Russian resorts sprung up in seaside towns in Northern Cyprus? What can Sarajevo’s local politics tell us about Trump, Putin, and Erdogan? How has the Syrian revolution turned the state into a new Cold War frontier? And how are sanctioned regimes using cryptocurrencies to swerve around embargoes?
Acclaimed correspondent Hannah Lucinda Smith reveals the hidden conflicts that underpin contemporary geopolitics. From Azerbaijan to the Adriatic, Kosovo to Nagorno-Karabakh, these are the disputed territories that have the power to enthrone strongman dictators, shape the future of the West, and define the fault lines of the new Cold War.
Drawing on encounters with politicians, spies, and the ordinary people caught in the crosshairs, this indispensable account of events in the gray zones of Eurasia—and beyond—gives vital context to our rapidly changing world, which we ignore at our own peril.
Why have Russian resorts sprung up in seaside towns in Northern Cyprus? What can Sarajevo’s local politics tell us about Trump, Putin, and Erdogan? How has the Syrian revolution turned the state into a new Cold War frontier? And how are sanctioned regimes using cryptocurrencies to swerve around embargoes?
Acclaimed correspondent Hannah Lucinda Smith reveals the hidden conflicts that underpin contemporary geopolitics. From Azerbaijan to the Adriatic, Kosovo to Nagorno-Karabakh, these are the disputed territories that have the power to enthrone strongman dictators, shape the future of the West, and define the fault lines of the new Cold War.
Drawing on encounters with politicians, spies, and the ordinary people caught in the crosshairs, this indispensable account of events in the gray zones of Eurasia—and beyond—gives vital context to our rapidly changing world, which we ignore at our own peril.
- GenresPolitics
288 pages, Hardcover
Expected publication July 21, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
BOOK REVIEW
Politics | Paperback proof
Ad-pr gifted from @profile.books
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
I was sent this book last week and for a non fiction book I read this pretty fast. It is an absolutely fascinating account of countries in Europe’s hinterlands and how what happens to them will have ramifications for the rest of us. These countries are often in the grey zone, some not officially recognised and others just come out from conflict. What binds them together are several things it seems; international companies use them to launder money or escape paying taxes, human rights are violated and the malign influence of Russia and Turkey is pervasive. Putin and Erdogan are big players in the stakes of these countries and use them for their own ends. What is frightening is that nationalist groups and hardline Muslims are being encouraged to further destabilise these countries because that makes it easier for these powerful men to control them. The author interviews so many experts and has visited these countries many times. It was her conversations with ordinary people that had the most profound impact on me and I’m grateful that they were able to have their voices heard.
I feel that I have learned so much and had my eyes opened to places and people I have never heard of before. I will probably need to re read it to have any meaningful or intelligent conversation about these places but now my eyes are opened I am sure I will pay them more attention. It took me into many Google rabbit holes I can tell you!
Highly readable and engaging.
All thoughts and opinions are my own, if I’m sent a book and I don’t like it then you won’t see me talking about it. 😊
#hinterlands #geopolitics #europeanpolitics #agoodread #nonfiction
Politics | Paperback proof
Ad-pr gifted from @profile.books
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
I was sent this book last week and for a non fiction book I read this pretty fast. It is an absolutely fascinating account of countries in Europe’s hinterlands and how what happens to them will have ramifications for the rest of us. These countries are often in the grey zone, some not officially recognised and others just come out from conflict. What binds them together are several things it seems; international companies use them to launder money or escape paying taxes, human rights are violated and the malign influence of Russia and Turkey is pervasive. Putin and Erdogan are big players in the stakes of these countries and use them for their own ends. What is frightening is that nationalist groups and hardline Muslims are being encouraged to further destabilise these countries because that makes it easier for these powerful men to control them. The author interviews so many experts and has visited these countries many times. It was her conversations with ordinary people that had the most profound impact on me and I’m grateful that they were able to have their voices heard.
I feel that I have learned so much and had my eyes opened to places and people I have never heard of before. I will probably need to re read it to have any meaningful or intelligent conversation about these places but now my eyes are opened I am sure I will pay them more attention. It took me into many Google rabbit holes I can tell you!
Highly readable and engaging.
All thoughts and opinions are my own, if I’m sent a book and I don’t like it then you won’t see me talking about it. 😊
#hinterlands #geopolitics #europeanpolitics #agoodread #nonfiction
Review of advance copy received from Goodreads Giveaways
Reading this book has been an education in politics, corruption and greed totally ignoring the citizens of these hinterlands. Religious persecution is still rampant throughout the world and the suffering of ordinary people totally ignored for the gain of the unprincipled. Smith's journeys into the hinterland reveal much that has been ignored or hidden.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews