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The Dust of Empire: The Race for Mastery in the Asian Heartland
When Charles de Gaulle learned that France's former colonies in Africa had chosen independence, the great general shrugged dismissively, "They are the dust of empire." But as Americans have learned, particles of dust from remote and seemingly medieval countries can, at great human and material cost, jam the gears of a superpower.
In The Dust of Empire , Karl E. Meyer examines the present and past of the Asian heartland in a book that blends scholarship with reportage, providing fascinating detail about regions and peoples now of urgent concern to the five Central Asian republics, the Caspian and the Caucasus, Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan and long-dominant Russia. He provides the context for America's war on terrorism, for Washington's search for friends and allies in an Islamic world rife with extremism, and for the new politics of pipelines and human rights in an area richer in the former than the latter. He offers a rich and complicated tapestry of a region where empires have so often come to grief—a cautionary tale.
In The Dust of Empire , Karl E. Meyer examines the present and past of the Asian heartland in a book that blends scholarship with reportage, providing fascinating detail about regions and peoples now of urgent concern to the five Central Asian republics, the Caspian and the Caucasus, Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan and long-dominant Russia. He provides the context for America's war on terrorism, for Washington's search for friends and allies in an Islamic world rife with extremism, and for the new politics of pipelines and human rights in an area richer in the former than the latter. He offers a rich and complicated tapestry of a region where empires have so often come to grief—a cautionary tale.
288 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2003
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
December 24, 2017
a geopolitical primer
Karl Meyer has been both a journalist and an academic and it shows. He has an eye for the big picture, he puts his finger on the main issues, and doesn't hesitate to criticize policy decisions where need be. Unlike many journalists, he takes knowledge of history and culture as vital to understanding current events. In these things, he's an academic. But in his writing style (lite) and his inability to miss "juicy tidbits" whether all that relevant or not, he reflects a journalistic background. In any case, if your knowledge of the relationship of the USA with Russia, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Central Asia ("the Stans") or the Caucasus is rather shaky, you couldn't do better than to read THE DUST OF EMPIRES. If you have read a number of books on the various places just mentioned, or are looking for in-depth knowledge of say, former Soviet Central Asia or Afghanistan, then this volume may prove a bit basic for you.
While providing pocket histories and some cultural background, Meyer's chapters focus overall on the pitfalls of "indirect rule" and the legacies of imperialism. He uses Cuba as a classic example in his first chapter. The USA kicked out the Spaniards and set up a Cuban government, but maintained indirect control over that island for decades until Fidel Castro finally put a stop to it. This kind of rule from afar is what Meyer is referring to. Most empires have resorted to it over the centuries--the British in India and Africa, the French in Africa and Indochina, the Dutch in Indonesia and so on. Meyer criticizes this form of imperialism and says that it delegitimizes local leaders and creates a class of collaborators. In his very useful first chapter on Imperialism, Meyer warns against this sort of rule. Nobody listened. The US has set up that very sort of control again in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Some of the chapters are better organized and conceived than others, perhaps due to better knowledge on the author's part. I thought that the sections on Russia, Iran and Pakistan outshone the others. If you want really in depth information, you might be better served reading separate books on the different areas. Meyer has bitten off a lot here, and one might quarrel with certain directions he took, but the result is readable and will hold your interest. The bibliography is excellent and very useful; some better maps should have been included. Reading this book in conjunction with one of Robert Kaplan's works could give an interesting comparative perspective.
Karl Meyer has been both a journalist and an academic and it shows. He has an eye for the big picture, he puts his finger on the main issues, and doesn't hesitate to criticize policy decisions where need be. Unlike many journalists, he takes knowledge of history and culture as vital to understanding current events. In these things, he's an academic. But in his writing style (lite) and his inability to miss "juicy tidbits" whether all that relevant or not, he reflects a journalistic background. In any case, if your knowledge of the relationship of the USA with Russia, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Central Asia ("the Stans") or the Caucasus is rather shaky, you couldn't do better than to read THE DUST OF EMPIRES. If you have read a number of books on the various places just mentioned, or are looking for in-depth knowledge of say, former Soviet Central Asia or Afghanistan, then this volume may prove a bit basic for you.
While providing pocket histories and some cultural background, Meyer's chapters focus overall on the pitfalls of "indirect rule" and the legacies of imperialism. He uses Cuba as a classic example in his first chapter. The USA kicked out the Spaniards and set up a Cuban government, but maintained indirect control over that island for decades until Fidel Castro finally put a stop to it. This kind of rule from afar is what Meyer is referring to. Most empires have resorted to it over the centuries--the British in India and Africa, the French in Africa and Indochina, the Dutch in Indonesia and so on. Meyer criticizes this form of imperialism and says that it delegitimizes local leaders and creates a class of collaborators. In his very useful first chapter on Imperialism, Meyer warns against this sort of rule. Nobody listened. The US has set up that very sort of control again in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Some of the chapters are better organized and conceived than others, perhaps due to better knowledge on the author's part. I thought that the sections on Russia, Iran and Pakistan outshone the others. If you want really in depth information, you might be better served reading separate books on the different areas. Meyer has bitten off a lot here, and one might quarrel with certain directions he took, but the result is readable and will hold your interest. The bibliography is excellent and very useful; some better maps should have been included. Reading this book in conjunction with one of Robert Kaplan's works could give an interesting comparative perspective.
February 20, 2025
I mean it's all right...
Although near the start he seemed to suggest Caligula came after Nero, not true babyyy, just made it up. No evidence for that. Also stop using Latin and French when there are perfectly adequate English equivalents.
Slagging off the Soviets too zzzzzzzzz
Although near the start he seemed to suggest Caligula came after Nero, not true babyyy, just made it up. No evidence for that. Also stop using Latin and French when there are perfectly adequate English equivalents.
Slagging off the Soviets too zzzzzzzzz
October 30, 2016
This one was an alright read. A broad overview of the Central Asian countries and their progress since the demise of the Soviet Union. I found this one a bit too broad for me though. I would have preferred much more depth into each country or republic. However I do understand the mission of the author and he did a fairly good job of it.
For us, the Stans (Pakistan, Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan...etc, etc) are fairly unknown to us. Oil. Steppe. Islam. Tribal. Possible trouble. All of these are wrapped up in these newest of countries, but oldest of peoples. They were once know by different names such as Mongol, Tartar, Tatar, Golden Horde. Now they are republics that were cast off when the Soviet Union imploded.
Dust Of Empire covers how Tsarist Russia, the Soviet Union, Britain, and now the United States has interacted with these farthest of regions. Interfered may be a better word. Mountainous and nomadic, these peoples resist all who attempt to yoke them. Xenophobic may be a better term for these folks. Each empire has tried its hand messing around and pursuing their own agendas. Each has suffered their reverses. Ethnic cleansing, wholesale resettlements, and risky alliances are common terms for these uncommon peoples.
Overall, the author pushed one major theme. Be careful what you seek in these regions. You may find it.
For us, the Stans (Pakistan, Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan...etc, etc) are fairly unknown to us. Oil. Steppe. Islam. Tribal. Possible trouble. All of these are wrapped up in these newest of countries, but oldest of peoples. They were once know by different names such as Mongol, Tartar, Tatar, Golden Horde. Now they are republics that were cast off when the Soviet Union imploded.
Dust Of Empire covers how Tsarist Russia, the Soviet Union, Britain, and now the United States has interacted with these farthest of regions. Interfered may be a better word. Mountainous and nomadic, these peoples resist all who attempt to yoke them. Xenophobic may be a better term for these folks. Each empire has tried its hand messing around and pursuing their own agendas. Each has suffered their reverses. Ethnic cleansing, wholesale resettlements, and risky alliances are common terms for these uncommon peoples.
Overall, the author pushed one major theme. Be careful what you seek in these regions. You may find it.
March 2, 2025
This is an excellent introduction to the history and people of Central Eurasia, i.e. the Caucasus, the five former Soviet Republics “The Stans”, and the Hindu Kush/Kashmir cluster of Afghanistan, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Northern India. This is a part of the world I was aware of but knew very little about.
It is where throughout history empires have clashed. Alexander the Great; Gengis Khan; Tamerlane, The Persian Empire, The Ottoman Empire, The British Empire, The Russian Empire, The Soviet Union, and more. Despite all this, it remains an unruly mountainous barrier in the middle of the Eurasian land mass.
While the book can be criticized for being superficial, it is exactly what I needed. A historian’s perspective on the grand sweep of history and what that might mean to the world today. Admittedly it is a bit dated as it was written in 2002 and published in 2003, but it is extremely well written for a non-fiction survey of hundreds of years of history.
It is where throughout history empires have clashed. Alexander the Great; Gengis Khan; Tamerlane, The Persian Empire, The Ottoman Empire, The British Empire, The Russian Empire, The Soviet Union, and more. Despite all this, it remains an unruly mountainous barrier in the middle of the Eurasian land mass.
While the book can be criticized for being superficial, it is exactly what I needed. A historian’s perspective on the grand sweep of history and what that might mean to the world today. Admittedly it is a bit dated as it was written in 2002 and published in 2003, but it is extremely well written for a non-fiction survey of hundreds of years of history.
January 27, 2023
Great read, but I'm stingy with five-star reviews. There is the issue of so much having transpired in Central Asia since the publication date, and going in, one must set expectations as to how in-depth the author can go into the history of such a vast region in only 214 pages. But the writing is fantastic and the depth of knowledge demonstrated by the author is why I love academic works. It's the kind of history book that makes you want to travel, and that is never a bad thing.
February 9, 2022
Buen libro aunque profundiza demasiado en las citas y en lo que dicen otros autores, en vez de buscar un discurso más unido
February 26, 2017
Why hadn't I read this in University????
January 17, 2015
The history and politics of imperialism in Central Asia. Describes in detail how paternalistic intervention (“indirect imperialism”) engenders the same hatred and, ultimately, chaos, that direct imperialism does (note – compare the United States to Great Britain). Revives a tremendous amount of lost history, including the startling fact that at the time of India’s fight for independent, the Pashtuns espoused a pacifist movement encouraging women’s rights and maintaining a union with India. This was suppressed by Great Britain, and the consequences of such a divide-and-conquer strategy are the Taliban. Also important is an analysis of Iran, and how first Great Britain and Russia, and then later America forestalled the creation of a modern state, including the suppression of democracy, resulting in the present theocratic state. One conclusion that is reached by the end of this book is that non-intervention may make the best friends. Perhaps the most intellectually exciting is a brief analysis at the end of the book - that America’s only real political gift to the world – not democracy, but Federalism – the joining together of diverse and contentious states in a system which encourages differentiation amidst mutual support. Although unheralded, this was at the core of the Marshall Plan, and the resulting Common Market and European Union are perhaps the greatest guarantees of peace through most of Europe. Meyer makes the daring proposal that Federalism should similarly be encouraged in such regions as the Caucasus and Central Asia, making aid contingent on cooperation among states rather than further fissioning.
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August 8, 2013'Meyer has given us much more than a collection of gripping stories. He writes to warn America against the dangerous path she appears to be following. Our unprecedented military and economic power allows us to “throw our weight around” in the classic fashion of the great 19th-century empires. Too often we have succumbed to the temptation to do so. Meyer wrote before the Bush administration’s invasion of Iraq, in defiance of the wishes of nearly every nation in the world, but this exercise of the arrogance of power is a perfect example of what he has in mind.'
Read the full review, "Ignorant Imperialists," on our website:
http://www.theamericanconservative.co...
Read the full review, "Ignorant Imperialists," on our website:
http://www.theamericanconservative.co...
September 15, 2013
Fantastic introduction to the region and even a few surprises for those of us who read all the news about this area. I get even more now why there's animosity against the West, for who could blame them. When I first started reading, I thought I had inadvertently picked up some US government propaganda, but the last sentence in the introduction convinced me otherwise and had me continue reading.
One quibble: I found the Pakistan chapter difficult, as there was not enough explanation, making interminable Google trips to elucidate some of the names and events.
One quibble: I found the Pakistan chapter difficult, as there was not enough explanation, making interminable Google trips to elucidate some of the names and events.
November 18, 2014
This book simply doesn't deliver, really. It seems to be based upon little more than some modicum of research of books written by others. The author fails to convey any sort of deep or personal understanding of the subject matter, other than to state the obvious regarding commonly known historical facts about the region. Also, bizarrely, he keeps quoting W.H. Auden poems as if they were conclusive evidence that his own simplistic opinions must be true.
The subject matter itself is great. If only a more knowledgeable person would write a book about it.
The subject matter itself is great. If only a more knowledgeable person would write a book about it.
July 27, 2007
Dense, but very well-written and organized (each chapter is devoted to a different country). Knowing next to nothing about the region before I started the book, I had to re-read some sections to fully absorb all the info. It was relatively slow-going, but it was well worth it in the end: incredibly informative, and truly fascinating. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone interested in learning more about the region.
August 2, 2007
I read an article by this author in Harper's on what happened the last time Iraq was invaded (by the British). The article was so good, that I got his book.
The book has a broader focus -- a history of imperialism of that region.
Well written. It gives us a necessary review of how the so called middle east emerged from the debris of the Ottoman Empire. This an are I would like to know better.
The book has a broader focus -- a history of imperialism of that region.
Well written. It gives us a necessary review of how the so called middle east emerged from the debris of the Ottoman Empire. This an are I would like to know better.
December 26, 2008
highly recommended for anyone the least bit interested in the world as we have made it. if oil wasn't our energy would our geopolitics be so covered in blood, inhumanity, complete sadistic cruelty? yes, probably.
July 5, 2007
informative, but at times dry and dense.
November 13, 2007
Disappointingly scatter shot (kind of like the author in person) but a decent primer for those new to the subject of Central Asia
August 20, 2008
Karl Meyer is a great history writer, and he made this overview of the history of the west's interference and interventions in Asia come alive.
March 23, 2009
A very understandable and pretty brief history of a region i didn't really know about previously.
September 4, 2011
Covered some places and time frames not generally included in Central Asian histories. So certainly valuable.
Read
September 25, 2016Excellent and comprehensive book.
July 10, 2011
Story of central asia and the Great game. A little trite.
May 8, 2017
Great survey of the countries that matter a lot to us right now. See other comments at http://relaxandhavefun.com/?p=52
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews