Overview

When you see your nation's flag fluttering in the breeze, what do you feel? For thousands of years flags have represented our hopes and dreams. We wave them. Burn them. March under their colours. And still, in the 21st century, we die for them. Flags fly at the UN, on the Arab street, from front porches in Texas. They represent the politics of high power as well as the politics of the mob. From the renewed sense of nationalism in China, to troubled identities in Europe and the USA, to the terrifying rise of Islamic State, the world is a confusing place right now and we need to understand the symbols, old and new, that people are rallying round. In nine chapters (covering the USA, UK, Europe, Middle East, Asia, Africa, Latin America, international flags and flags of terror), Tim Marshall draws on more than twenty-five years of global reporting experience to reveal the histories, the power and the politics of the symbols that unite us - and divide us.

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9781783962815

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Reviews

Full of sharp analysis and a very entertaining read - Andrew Neil; A fascinating tour of the world's ensigns, their histories and meanings ... a sobering lesson in just how silly we human beings can be - Daily Mail

Full of sharp analysis and a very entertaining read - Andrew Neil

Full of sharp analysis and a very entertaining read - Andrew Neil; A fascinating tour of the world's ensigns, their histories and meanings ... a sobering lesson in just how silly we human beings can be - Daily Mail; Insightful and entertaining ... a truly fascinating book that feels all the more considered and urgent in today's world of Brexit, Trump, China and ISIS -- Dan Lewis, Wanderlust magazine; Marshall points out that we often forget the aggressive symbolism of established flags ... [they] are a quick, visual way of communicating loyalties, power and ideas -- Robbie Millen, The Times; An engagingly written, veritable page-turner. Whether the topic is ethnic identity, Japanese imperialism, Panamanian shipping law or the defeat of Nazism, flags speak volumes about our human condition -- Lawrence Joffe, Jewish Chronicle; In today's globalised and media savvy environment, the role of state and non-state symbols has become more important and in many cases more dangerous and evocative. This witty book brings to our attention this power, alongside the reality that we must not underestimate or misunderstand how the flags of our world came to be. A must read for anyone wishing to grasp the meanings behind today's international affairs. -- Human Security Centre

Author Information

Tim Marshall is a leading authority on foreign affairs with more than 25 years of reporting experience. He was diplomatic editor at Sky News, and before that worked for the BBC and LBC/IRN radio. He has reported from 30 countries and covered conflicts in Croatia, Bosnia, Macedonia, Kosovo, Afghanistan, Iraq, Lebanon, Syria and Israel. His blog Foreign Matters was shortlisted for the Orwell Prize 2010. He has written for The Times, Sunday Times, Guardian, Independent and Daily Telegraph, and is the author of Shadowplay: The Overthrow of Slobodan Milosevic (a bestseller in former Yugoslavia), Dirty Northern B*st*rds! and Other Tales from the Terraces: The Story of Britain's Football Chants (E&T, 2014) and Prisoners of Geography: Ten Maps that Tell You Everything You Need to Know About Global Politics (E&T, 2015). He is founder and editor of the current affairs site TheWhatandtheWhy.com.

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