“The New Silk Roads” Book by Peter Frankopan Essay (Book Review)

Introduction

The New Silk Roads by Peter Frankopan is an updated version of his earlier book The Silk Roads, hence one needs to read ‘Sill Roads’ to understand The New Silk Roads. Originally, the book was a postscript or kind of epilogue to The Silk Roads that was released in 2015. In this particular version, the author reckons that Russia, China, and Iran are building up to be a challenge to the Western countries, which for a long time have dominated the world’s success. Notably, China is at the heart of the book; it is gearing up to remain at the top after spending billions of cash creating goodwill. The New Silk Roads covers a period between 2015 and 2018 and as well theorizes what might happen in the future. In a clear, well-organized, and with a range of pertinent evidence, Frankopan’s book demonstrates wise, thoughtful, and well-argued ideas on the global political, economic, and cultural world of today.

Main body

Frankopan is not the first author to praise China and its recent success in terms of globalization, nor is he the first to touch on tough competition between western countries (especially United States) and countries in the East (especially China and Russia). In his book, Frankopan terms countries in the East as the ‘New Silk Road’ countries. In this debate over western dominance, the ending is therefore not a new idea in historian’s ears. Different authors have had a similar discussion but using different perspectives of explanations. Essentially different historians, economists, authors, and political scientists hold a different opinion on the same. As Frankopan believes that the Western dominance is over, Michael Beckley _ In His Book Why America Will Remain the World’s Sole holds otherwise. Notably, most, if not all, including Frankopan, have convincing contents _ based on practical examples, logical arguments, and rich sources of data/information. An excellent example of such Authors logic being Michael Beckley in Unrivaled: Why America Will Remain the World’s Sole Superpower. To support his assertion that the United States will remain to dominate the world, he argues that the fact that GDP is used to measure wealth is a wrong idea since it fails to include expenses¹.

The perspective that Frankopan offers is quite sensible, yet it could use several criticisms in order to provide a more coherent approach toward building economic relationships with China and exploring the opportunities of the “new Silk Road” (Frankopan 2). For example, the pressure that the enforcement of economic relationships with China places on the companies operating in other countries will have to be examined closer. Indeed, given the quite specific and possibly controversial nature of the differences between the line of managing economic and political issues in China and the Western states, the necessity to incorporate compromises into the management of international agreements will have to be considered. However, Frankopan omits the specified discussion point, which implicitly suggests that economic relationships should be elevated over sociocultural concerns. Nevertheless, the proposed perspective does not allow for a reconciliation between Western and Chinese organizations, which may become a potential source of conflict. Thus, the position was taken by Frankopan, specifically, the attempt at ignoring the issue of political and sociocultural differences, which may result in a greater confrontation.

In most books that research on topics subjected to dilemma, the authors aim at making optimum efforts to convince the readers of their stand. Using rich content and various examples, Frankopan makes undoubtedly good work in convincing the readers that the world has experienced dramatic changes since 2015. Essentially, life has become more difficult and challenging for countries in the West. This is an idea that Frankopan had touched on in his original book, but this time around, he demonstrates how, and in more detail. In his previous version, he spoke of the Brexit vote and the uncertainty surrounding the future of the European Union. However, since then, many more important changes have taken place. For instance, the election of Donald Trump as the president of the United States has been quite a significant trajectory that is confusing to monitor and asses when it comes to the history of the United States. The new chapter of relations between Russia and the U.S is an excellent example Frankopan uses to explain what happened after the fall of the berlin wall². The continued problems with Afghanistan, the breakdown of Syria due to civil war, and the process of building Iraq which was full of twists and turns are also examples the author uses to explain why the West in the problem. These decisions were subjected to financial, military, and strategic expense.

The use of practical examples is also seen when the author talks about companies such as Nike which depends on setting trends for their financial success. Other significant and reliable examples include topics on natural resources in Asia as their only tool of optimism, agricultural wealth that lies between the Mediterranean and the Pacific, silicon and their roles in micro-electrics, resources, and the roles they play in shaping the world, among others. Using a wide source of examples to gather reliable content is one aspect that enables the author to deliver his thoughts and support his stand effectively.

However, when it comes to identifying the aspects of the book that make it particularly stunning, one should give the author credit for addressing the idea of cooperation between China and western companies from the perspective of globalization. As a result, the idea of collaboration is viewed not as a possible solution to some of the economic and financial issues that modern organizations face in the business setting but as the step that has been necessitated by the recent developments in the global economy. As a result, the book becomes a profound analysis of the influences that shape the decisions made by businesses and governments in the environment of the present-day global market. Consequently, the book manages to project the current situation onto the future of international relationships in the global setting, thus outlining the concerns and opportunities that it will probably entail.

The dizzying effect of reading Frankopan’s book lies in realizing that there has been a sheer amount of change that has taken place globally in a period of barely three years. Belt and Road initiative being a typical change, it now involves more than 80 countries with a combined population of more than 4 billion, which amounts to 63% of the world’s total³. As Xi Jinping, China’s President recently promised, the initiative involved countries that accounted for almost a third of the global output with the possibility of adding splendor to human civilization⁴.

If one wants to see the kind of impact the book has on readers, one should consider the issue of the Belt and Road initiative as discussed by the author. I personally am very aware that not everyone understands what exactly BRI involves. However, research would introduce one to the kind of projects that are listed as BRI projects in a city in Gansu province. Some have raised concern over the initiative, arguing that China has made an attempt to build political influence in various countries and buy their trust. In reality, countries that have made use of the BRI initiative have shown very few concerns. In one instance, Hun Sen, the prime minister of Cambodia stated that all countries have ideas but have no access to financial ability; a thing that makes China unique since it always has money to invest in its ideas⁵.

The book can be considered a reminder of how the pace of the news cycle has turned out to become dizzying⁶. The book covers a period after 2015, which, being a three-year span, is comparatively small, yet a reader can encompass the wide range of events that took place within the short period. A good example is the assassination of Jamal Khashoggi by Saudi agents and the opportunity that it provides for further analysis.

Notably, China is at the heart of the book as the country with the unique capability of providing leadership among fractious states. Frankopan utilizes statistics and other primary and secondary resources to define the position that China takes in the world. In 2017, Starbucks announced the establishment of 2,000 stores in China before the end of 2012. This is an insinuation that every year, China will have 14 new Starbucks outlets. Such statistics give the book a sense of reliability and credibility.

However, when it comes to the actual delivery of the statistical data and the evaluation thereof, the book reveals one of its greatest weaknesses. While the narrative, in general, is quite compelling, with the essential trends being described and analyzed insightfully, the statistical data that Frankopan offers covers a very small time period, with only a few years being fitted into the analysis (). Frankopan tends to overview the most recent changes, which is rather reasonable, yet not quite sufficient for a grand analysis and the assessment of future possibilities. For instance, the author outlining the changes that could be observed on a three-year time slot can hardly be seen as sufficient for giving a more general assessment of the situation and defining future trends in the economic development of the state. The same concerns the identification and analysis of the challenges and opportunities that other states will encounter when starting their economic journey across the “new Silk Road” (Frankopan 3). Therefore, it will be reasonable to acknowledge the fact that at least some of Frankopan’s assumptions and calculations may lack the accuracy needed for a well-developed analysis of the problem. The

To sound neutral and unbiased, the authors tend to discuss both sides of the argument to cultivate trust within readers. Frankopan is not left behind in adopting this technique. On the one hand, he gives a discussion of the problems western countries suffer in the age of globalization and defines the problem other countries such as China suffers in another instance. Also, while he acknowledges China’s growing importance, he points out aspects such as the mass detentions of a significant number of people in Uighurs by Chinese authorities in Xinjiang. Similarly, he considers the role of Russia in Syria.

I love how the author uses literal language to illustrate ideas. For instance, in illustrating how globalization is advancing on a different character, Frankopan uses the purchases of major football clubs by countries within the Silk Road term as an emblem⁷.

Due to the global sweep of the Chinese investment, Frankopan’s book “New Silk Road” play accounts for the latest stages in modern globalization and not an account of whats might be happening in the heartland itself⁸. The term globalization is not new to many since it has been highly used over the last four decades by the western neoliberals. The questionable aspect is, however, how it would like to live in a China-led global order. As Frankopan mentions, China’s president’s (Xi Jinping’s) desire is barely to boost mutual understanding between nations, create mutual trust and respect, and promote peace and development at a global level. Frankopan shows interest in a commentator’s quote that pointed out that “China has never been a colonial power”⁹. However, by putting things into emphasis, Frankopan would be making an assumption based on the fact that China has never been a colonial power in the past. Intellectually looking at the issue, you do not need the past to create the future. Similarly, you do not need to call yourself an empire to be one. Therefore, the Chinese do not need to have experience of being colonized to find themselves at the mercy of outside powers.

Conclusion

Like the first version of the book, The New Silk Roads consist of content that makes a reader realize that change is normal. In a clear, well organized, and with a range of pertinent evidence, Frankopan’s book demonstrates wise, thoughtful, and well-argued ideas on the global political, economic, and cultural world of today. Notably, the book is not so much a book on its own as it is an update of the author’s previous book. However, regardless of the case, the book provides a rich source of information on recent developments within China. To its best, the book makes a comparison between countries, especially China, Russia, and Western countries¹⁰. The book also attempts to show the kind of fragmentation and isolation within the current Western countries in an attempt to disregard western dominance.

Bibliography

Frankopan, Peter. 2019. The new silk roads: the present and future of the world.

Footnotes

1. Peter, Frankopan. 2019. The new silk roads: the present and future of the world.
2. Ibid.
3. Peter, Frankopan. 2019. The new silk roads: the present and future of the world.
4. Ibid.
5. Ibid.
6. Peter, Frankopan. 2019. The new silk roads: the present and future of the world.
7. Peter, Frankopan. 2019. The new silk roads: the present and future of the world.
8. Ibid.
9. Ibid.