Hinterlands: The New Cold War Brewing at the Peripheries of the West

by Hanna Lucinda Smith

A 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.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Politics, Geography, World History, Travel

288 pages, Hardcover

Published July 21, 2026

Reviews

[Laurie · Rating 4.5 out of 5]

European nations of NATO are nervous and with very good reason. Journalist Hanna Lucinda Smith does an outstanding job visiting European and West Asia's 'hinterlands' where Puntin and Erdǒgan have been at work destabilizing NATO and the European Union. Living in the region for many years, until recently, the author has access to both politicians and opposition activists to interview. She presents a concise picture of the conflicts of several regions (map included) and how the political/social developments on the ground are being interfered with my the region's strongmen. The postscript delivers a brief analysis of Trump's role. My copy of this book was purchased in Budapest and has a different subtitle "Journey Through Europe's Unfinished Frontiers.

[Samir Mammadov · Rating 1 out of 5]

From the first page of the book, it became clear that the author is an Azerbaijanophobe who approaches Azerbaijan with a strong bias, often minimizing or dismissing the suffering endured by Azerbaijani people, including my family as a result of the occupation of their lands.

Being critical of a government is one thing, but reducing an entire society to negative stereotypes is another. The author claims that Azerbaijani oil workers spent their earnings on prostitutes from other less fortunete countries. This characterization is needlessly derogatory, and it significantly undermined the book’s credibility.

[amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

BOOK REVIEW
Politics | Paperback proof
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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

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

[Bridget · Rating 3 out of 5]

I ended up being less interested in this book as a book, and more interested in it as an artifact of a dying (?) genre. I used to LOVE books like this: a journalist/smart person goes to some politically volatile place, talks to some people, writes a chapter about it, and then repeats the process until a book takes shape. I'm oversimplifying the formula, but books like Eastward to Tartary and some by Thomas Friedman and maybe Nicholas Kristof basically do just that. And I wonder if we've moved past that kind of book, as a society? It's too bad, because I think Smith has some interesting things to say here in this book: about Syria, about Cyprus, about disputed zones in the former Soviet Union. But it's disjointed - she never allows herself to go on at length, or in-depth, about any one observation. Instead, she talks to one or two people, gives the broad strokes of their story and personal opinion on current events/history, and then leaves for the next destination/chapter. There's not enough there there.

I think the whole "I talked to my taxi driver and he told me ______" line (which was literally in Thomas Friedman's books, a vibe in others, and a meme on Twitter) has killed this genre. And maybe that's fine.

I did almost finish this book, so that's something. And I listened to the author on Sources and Methods and it was a very good interview. I would read something else she writes someday, but not this.

[Joyce · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[Anaïs · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very readable, I would question two things 1. I am shocked that Rita ora and dua lipa were put in the same category as ‘global megastars’ we only have to see how terribly Rita ora’s collection at primark did to know this is a massive untruth. And 2. I think the use of acronyms was odd, often they would be used and not fully explained and then would be fully written out at a few pages later ?

[Tom Swift · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Daphne · Rating 3 out of 5]

do you ever read an anti-crypto argument so bad you have to take a few moments to convince yourself you’re not stupid. nobody does it like pro-western liberal slopulists

[Hannah Camilleri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Man I hate Putin

[Bengi-Sue · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed the Cyprus chapter

[Alexa · Rating 1 out of 5]

Unfortunately nothing new here although the author appears to think she's made some kind of breakthrough by visiting Gagosia and Transnistiria.

There are plenty of other people in the region that speak multiple languages and it's an ethnically diverse region. She doesn't know about Eurasia? Reminiscent of the Ivana Trump 'discovery' of an Albanian island that was there all along. If you don't speak English then your knowledge is illegitimate. Smells of neocolonialism.

Author is a self professed Turkey nerd' who speaks Turkish, well are there are other people who speak Turkish in the region as well as other languages.

Guess they should have written a book about it?