Rhys Davis’s Reviews > Prisoners of Geography: Ten Maps That Tell You Everything You Need to Know About Global Politics > Status Update
Rhys Davis
is on page 208 of 256
India and Pakistan:
- Hate each other!
- Pakistan continuously full of strife
- Formed after the Brits left India: Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh
-Threat to each other because they have nukes
-Each area too diverse to be united
-Pakistan: Muslims, India: Hindus&Sikhs
-Pakistan maintains relations with Afghanistan to have it to fall back upon in case of war with India
-Pak played both sides in the War on Terror
— Jun 07, 2024 11:56AM
- Hate each other!
- Pakistan continuously full of strife
- Formed after the Brits left India: Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh
-Threat to each other because they have nukes
-Each area too diverse to be united
-Pakistan: Muslims, India: Hindus&Sikhs
-Pakistan maintains relations with Afghanistan to have it to fall back upon in case of war with India
-Pak played both sides in the War on Terror
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Rhys’s Previous Updates
Rhys Davis
is on page 230 of 256
Korea & Japan
- Island has prevented invasion
- maritime people
-always hoped to expand
-invaded indochina in WWII
-overstepped with Pearl Harbor
-treaty with US took away right to build much self defense
-Japanese overstep these boundaries more and more
-Remain allied to the US because of fear of China and no natural oil supplies.
-Population is rapidly shrinking while government tries to expand foreign policy
— Jun 26, 2024 09:12AM
- Island has prevented invasion
- maritime people
-always hoped to expand
-invaded indochina in WWII
-overstepped with Pearl Harbor
-treaty with US took away right to build much self defense
-Japanese overstep these boundaries more and more
-Remain allied to the US because of fear of China and no natural oil supplies.
-Population is rapidly shrinking while government tries to expand foreign policy
Rhys Davis
is on page 230 of 256
Korea & Japan
- N.K. poverty stricken, morally corrupt, communist, set for collapse
- Very little info for outsiders
- K attacked by J in 1910, overtaken
- US choice of division on the 38th parallel led Russians to believe that the north was intended to be communist, as they had drawn the same line years ago
- 2 Ks “still at war”
- S stronger
- South Korea has issues with Japan, aligns itself with US
— Jun 26, 2024 09:08AM
- N.K. poverty stricken, morally corrupt, communist, set for collapse
- Very little info for outsiders
- K attacked by J in 1910, overtaken
- US choice of division on the 38th parallel led Russians to believe that the north was intended to be communist, as they had drawn the same line years ago
- 2 Ks “still at war”
- S stronger
- South Korea has issues with Japan, aligns itself with US
Rhys Davis
is on page 182 of 256
- Constant Israeli/Palestine divide, ownership of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank in question
- Israel regards Jerusalem as an indivisible capital
- Palestinians covet Jerusalem because of its connection to Islamic belief
- Citizens of the Gaza Strip surrounded by enemies
- Iran developing nuclear weapons, has secure borders
- Turkey is closest to Western society, non EU
- Sykes-Picot is breaking, with blood
— Jun 04, 2024 12:55PM
- Israel regards Jerusalem as an indivisible capital
- Palestinians covet Jerusalem because of its connection to Islamic belief
- Citizens of the Gaza Strip surrounded by enemies
- Iran developing nuclear weapons, has secure borders
- Turkey is closest to Western society, non EU
- Sykes-Picot is breaking, with blood
Rhys Davis
is on page 182 of 256
- Many displaced/mismatched ethnic groups: the majority of Jordan’s population is ethnically Palestinian.
- Civil war constant in Syria and in Lebanon
- Ongoing issue of the “Islamic State” (Al-Qaeda, ISIS: jihadists)
- Jihadists in Iraq have demonstrated that being a non-Sunni is akin to a death sentence.
- Most oil in Iraq found in Kurd and Shia areas
— Jun 04, 2024 12:51PM
- Civil war constant in Syria and in Lebanon
- Ongoing issue of the “Islamic State” (Al-Qaeda, ISIS: jihadists)
- Jihadists in Iraq have demonstrated that being a non-Sunni is akin to a death sentence.
- Most oil in Iraq found in Kurd and Shia areas
Rhys Davis
is on page 182 of 256
Middle East
- Political lines drawn by English and French diplomats, Sykes & Picot in 1916
- Historically full of strife
- Split between Sunni and Shia Muslims is a fundamental issue.
- Iraq splintered by its population of contrasting groups
- Turkey, Syria, and Iraq all struggle with the Kurds, an ethnic group which may one day form its own nation, Kurdistan.
- Saddam Hussein killed up to 100,00 Kurds 1980-90s
— Jun 04, 2024 12:47PM
- Political lines drawn by English and French diplomats, Sykes & Picot in 1916
- Historically full of strife
- Split between Sunni and Shia Muslims is a fundamental issue.
- Iraq splintered by its population of contrasting groups
- Turkey, Syria, and Iraq all struggle with the Kurds, an ethnic group which may one day form its own nation, Kurdistan.
- Saddam Hussein killed up to 100,00 Kurds 1980-90s
Rhys Davis
is on page 142 of 256
Africa:
Developed in isolation from Eurasia
Less developed, less powerful
Physical landscape a barrier to technological development
Political lines drawn by Europeans, causes many ethnic conflicts.
The DRC is a huge problem; not developing, always in war, full of natural resources - “Africa’s World War”.
Water wars are imminent.
Chinese vie for influence
Rampant corruption
Many “eggs without chickens”
— Jun 03, 2024 05:06AM
Developed in isolation from Eurasia
Less developed, less powerful
Physical landscape a barrier to technological development
Political lines drawn by Europeans, causes many ethnic conflicts.
The DRC is a huge problem; not developing, always in war, full of natural resources - “Africa’s World War”.
Water wars are imminent.
Chinese vie for influence
Rampant corruption
Many “eggs without chickens”
Rhys Davis
is on page 116 of 256
W. Europe:
-Poland would be made into a bridge between Russia and Europe in the event of war
-America holds much European power
-Poland🤝UK
-Russia🤝Serbia
-War will come from “some damned fool thing in the Balkans”
-EU and NATO are both fraying
-France and Germany “hugging each other so they cannot land a fist”
-Brits naturally separate, “memory” of power
-Economic Recession~anti-immigration…
— May 29, 2024 02:04PM
-Poland would be made into a bridge between Russia and Europe in the event of war
-America holds much European power
-Poland🤝UK
-Russia🤝Serbia
-War will come from “some damned fool thing in the Balkans”
-EU and NATO are both fraying
-France and Germany “hugging each other so they cannot land a fist”
-Brits naturally separate, “memory” of power
-Economic Recession~anti-immigration…
Rhys Davis
is on page 116 of 256
W. Europe:
- Well-fed and separated by many rivers, caused many diverse cultures to develop.
- N. Europe is traditionally much richer than S.
- France is a naturally strong power: crop land and water to the N. and S.
- Spain limited by geography (Pyrenees).
- Greece is historically poor and must spend loads on defense.
- Financial~Social tensions between Germany and Greece
-Tension between Euro family and Russia…
— May 29, 2024 01:59PM
- Well-fed and separated by many rivers, caused many diverse cultures to develop.
- N. Europe is traditionally much richer than S.
- France is a naturally strong power: crop land and water to the N. and S.
- Spain limited by geography (Pyrenees).
- Greece is historically poor and must spend loads on defense.
- Financial~Social tensions between Germany and Greece
-Tension between Euro family and Russia…
Rhys Davis
is on page 92 of 256
Failure in Vietnam made Washington more cautious about foreign entanglement, remains secure in interests.
Greatest rival to power is China.
Keen to speak out against events rather than to act, especially among our allies.
History of the current century may be written in Asia and the Pacific.
American Treaty with Taiwan incites war if the Chinese invade.
No longer strives to grow democracies on a global scale.
— May 26, 2024 05:09PM
Greatest rival to power is China.
Keen to speak out against events rather than to act, especially among our allies.
History of the current century may be written in Asia and the Pacific.
American Treaty with Taiwan incites war if the Chinese invade.
No longer strives to grow democracies on a global scale.
Rhys Davis
is on page 92 of 256
“Speak softly and carry a big stick”
- In securing full East to West reach of the landmass, the United States has secured itself against invasion.
- Louisiana Purchase yielded French Land, Mexican-American War and conflict with Cuba yielded the rest of the country.
- The United States is the primary military power of NATO, no decisions is made heb their approval.
… more to follow…
— May 26, 2024 05:04PM
- In securing full East to West reach of the landmass, the United States has secured itself against invasion.
- Louisiana Purchase yielded French Land, Mexican-American War and conflict with Cuba yielded the rest of the country.
- The United States is the primary military power of NATO, no decisions is made heb their approval.
… more to follow…
