 Purchase this book from amazon.co.uk Dilip Hiro is the author of more than thirty books, including Blood of the Earth, War Without End, and Between Marx and Mohammad. He contributes regularly to the Guardian, New York Times, Washington Post, and Observer, and is a commentator for CNN and the BBC. He lives in London. | Inside Central Asia
A Political and Cultural History of Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkey, and IranDilip Hiro ‘[A] straightforward political and social history. For readers who still get their “stans” mixed up and don’t know their inner Mongolia from their outer one… A detailed and nuanced overview... thorough and diligent... deliberately brings out themes of ethnic tensions, religious intolerance and struggle for political identity ’ Financial Times ‘Hiro is a prolific author... this work is littered with perceptive points... This is a useful, well-researched, detailed and intelligent book’ Jason Burke Literary Review More quotes The former Soviet republics of Central Asia comprise a sprawling, politically pivotal, densely populated, and richly cultured area of the world. Yet they remain poorly represented in libraries and mainstream media. Since their political inception during the rule of Joseph Stalin, they have experienced tremendous socio-political change. But despite this, the growth of oil wealth, the arrival of Western tourists and businessmen, and the competition for influence by the U.S., China and Russia, the spirit of Central Asia has remained untouched at its core. In this comprehensive up-to-date survey, renowned political writer and historian Dilip Hiro offers a lucid analytical narrative that places the present-day politics, economics and peoples of Central Asia and neighbouring Turkey and Iran into an international context. Given the strategic location of this region, its predominantly Muslim population, and its hydrocarbon and other valuable resources, it is not surprising that this vast expanse of Eurasia is emerging as one of the most potentially influential — and coveted — areas of the globe.
Read Dilip's latest articles in the Guardian
Praise for Between Marx and Muhammad: 'The strength of Hiro's book is the effort he has spent on tracking down hard-to-find elements of the region's history: the book will be invaluable to businessmen, diplomats or journalists - Hugh Pope author of Sons of the Conquerors: The Rise of the Turkic World 'A thought-provoking book... Worth reading... Thanks to his meticulous reporting of domestic politics, Mr. Hiro is able to explain why each new state is engaged in different kinds of nationbuilding' - Economist 'For the growing throng of diplomats and businessmen with an interest in the region - not least in Caspian oil - it [the book] must surely be required reading' - Financial Times 'A useful guide to those trying to make sense of a vital region' - Wall Street Journal Europe 'Chronicles Soviet involvement in Central Asia since the Russian Revolution with impressive attention to the twists and turns of policy' - Times Literary Supplement |
