From the Publisher
Mr. Keating offers few answers, but he raises good questions. As secessionist movements flourish in Europe, and climate change threatens to obliterate littoral states, the issue of what it means to be a nation is acquiring new salience.”—The Economist"As informative as it is readable. . . . A timely book."—Foreign Policy"At its core, Invisible Countries is a book about how the drama of nation-building transforms and is transformed by the politics of the world stage."—Daniel Solomon, New Republic“Keating offers a clear-eyed look into what it means to be a country today—in an age when it's become more difficult to forge new states—and how, increasingly, the notion of statehood is being challenged in unexpected ways. He mixes his historical and political investigation with intrepid reporting that centers those people who are navigating the apparent cracks along world borders.”—Pacific Standard"Invisible Countries is a serious, indefatigable attempt to explore the vexing issue of national identity."—Robert D. Kaplan, author of The Revenge of Geography
"Invisible Countries takes its readers on an incredible journey to some of the world's most unlikely, fragile but determined would-be nations. It's also a wonderfully humane and urgent intellectual quest to find out why countries and borders still matter so much in our supposedly globalizing era."—Alastair Bonnett, author of Unruly Places: Lost Spaces, Secret Cities, and Other Inscrutable Geographies
"Through fascinating journeys to quasi-states and nations lacking UN membership, Keating deftly illustrates his case: we must remember our current set of countries are means to the good life, not ends in themselves."—Charles Kenny [either Senior Fellow, the Center for Global Development and/or author Getting Better: How Global Development is Succeeding].
"With sharp reporting and a far-flung sense of adventure, Joshua Keating provides an unprecedented examination of what it means to be a nation in the twenty-first century. You’ll never look at the world map the same way after reading this thought-provoking book.—Doug Mack, author of The Not-Quite States of America
Doug Mack
"With sharp reporting and a far-flung sense of adventure, Joshua Keating provides an unprecedented examination of what it means to be a nation in the twenty-first century. You’ll never look at the world map the same way after reading this thought-provoking book.—Doug Mack, author of The Not-Quite States of America
Charles Kenny
"Through fascinating journeys to quasi-states and nations lacking UN membership, Keating deftly illustrates his case: we must remember our current set of countries are means to the good life, not ends in themselves."--Charles Kenny [either Senior Fellow, the Center for Global Development and/or author Getting Better: How Global Development is Succeeding].
Alastair Bonnett
"Invisible Countries takes its readers on an incredible journey to some of the world's most unlikely, fragile but determined would-be nations. It's also a wonderfully humane and urgent intellectual quest to find out why countries and borders still matter so much in our supposedly globalizing era."--Alastair Bonnett, author of Unruly Places: Lost Spaces, Secret Cities, and Other Inscrutable Geographies
Robert D. Kaplan
"Invisible Countries is a serious, indefatigable attempt to explore the vexing issue of national identity."--Robert D. Kaplan, author of The Revenge of Geography
Library Journal
06/15/2018
Keating (foreign policy analyst & staff writer, Slate) writes about a topic that far too often gets treated as a joke. All over the world there are small, or not so small, areas that make a claim to "nationhood" but are not recognized by the geopolitical world at large. Keating examines some of these countries and how their continued existence questions the current world order. This volume takes a detailed look at "unrecognized" countries—including Abkhazia, Somaliland, Kurdistan, and Akwesasne—and passing looks at another four outliers that mark exceptions to the worldview defined by national borders (The Knights of Malta, Estonia's e-residency, Liberland, and stateless people). Keating successfully fulfills his larger purpose by exploring how the borders of the modern world came to be, what holds them in place, and what might be the implications of changing them. He accomplishes this through discussions of the difference among state, nation, and country, while taking thought-provoking side discussions about whether a country can survive the loss of its geographical location (Kiribati) or if a state is truly needed (12 million stateless people). VERDICT A great book for general readers and undergraduates.—John Sandstrom, New Mexico State Univ. Lib., Las Cruces
OCTOBER 2018 - AudioFile
Author Joshua Keating’s book on the longing of peoples like the Kurds for a nation of their own is a compelling work in itself. But he would have been better served if a more experienced narrator had delivered this audiobook edition. His discussion challenges and broadens our notion of nationhood and illuminates many of conflicts that endure today, some of them centuries old. As a writer, Keating is relaxed, companionable, and informative. As a narrator, he’s stiff and overly regular in his cadence. The idea of a world soccer championship between “invisible” nations is droll, sad, and stirring all at once, and would make an excellent film premise. As a listening experience, the same material is still interesting, but flat. D.A.W. © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine
