Out of the Mountains Book Review by Alex Spillius, The Telegraph.
… Kilcullen, an Australian former soldier now resident in Washington, is a natural storyteller with a sharp and sympathetic mind. His first-hand experiences in Somalia, Afghanistan and elsewhere carry added credibility given his track record as a senior adviser to David Petraeus, the star US general in Iraq, and later to Nato in Afghanistan.
Thankfully, he does not limit himself to dire warnings. He broaches solutions. It would be a start, he contends, if policymakers and security strategists approached the world’s mega-cities as living entities to be analysed in their own right, not fixed locations, or part of a nation state. We have to keep up with the pace of their transformation.
Talking to local people is vital. Whatever the approach, a conversation urgently needs to begin if we are to avoid further urban catastrophe.
Comments
"Out of the Mountains" is a good read and gives pause to consider larger issues as they affect warfare, counter insurgency and the non state aligned phenomena the author describes with exacting detail. The historical references are sometimes flawed and I believe he has missed some important data as a result.
I would hope the author when faced with reprinting the book would look at issues of annihilation or genocide of minority groups as a result of some of the critical global altering impact of demographics and megacities. If the future is as hazardous as his school of thought claims to ignore the risk and the impact on minorities is almost criminal neglect.
The second request I would have of the author is that rather then simply put the issue of the breakdown of government in megacities and the rise of alternatives to nation-city states, he should look at Washington Heights, little Dominica, in the 80s and 90s, and how drug related murder was cut in half during the Giuliani Mayoral. One might also examine the sharia communities being established in Europe without the blinders or fear of being described as Islamophobic. It isn't a "third world" only phenomena.
Great book, much to think about.