Worth Dying For: The Power and Politics of Flags - from the author of the global bestseller Prisoners of Geography

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Aaron Retica of The New York Times gave a mixed review, finding the book to be overreaching in some of its interpretations of flags, such as the Flag of Europe or that of the Islamic State. He criticised the inclusion of the flags of Israel, Iran and Turkey in the "Colors of Arabia" chapter, but found the book to offer a "surprising fact or six along the way", such as Gilbert Baker finding inspiration for the LGBT Rainbow flag from the United States Bicentennial. [2] Both images, but perhaps more so the 9/11 photograph, also evoke the opening stanza of the American national anthem, “The Star-Spangled Banner,” particularly its final lines: Each of the world’s flags is simultaneously unique and similar. They all say something—sometimes perhaps too much.

Worth Dying For: The Power and Politics of Flags - from the Worth Dying For: The Power and Politics of Flags - from the

This was a meticulous and well-researched history of flags, and had this been what the book set out to achieve, it would have been an admirable effort. However, I expected to see more about the ‘power’ of flags - more about their influence and what they represent in the modern day. Marshall began his journalistic career reporting for LBC and was their Paris Bureau Correspondent for three years. He has also reported for the BBC and has written for a number of national newspapers. He was also the longstanding Foreign Affairs Editor and then Diplomatic Editor for Sky News. The first total lunar eclipse in 2 years happened today. Here's why the moon turned red during the Super Flower Blood Moon. For example, Tim focuses on militant Islamic organisations in the chapter 'Flags of Fear'. The Nazi swastika or the KKK flag would've equally suited this chapter, but Tim only discusses them in the passing in other sections. In another instance, Tim confuses religious conservatism and fundamentalism by pointing out that a Muslim man "having a beard but shaving the top lip is a sure sigh that he is of a fundamentalist bent."

Originally from Leeds, Tim arrived at broadcasting from the road less traveled. Not a media studies or journalism graduate, in fact not a graduate at all, after a wholly unsuccessful career as a painter and decorator he worked his way through newsroom nightshifts, and unpaid stints as a researcher and runner before eventually securing himself a foothold on the first rung of the broadcasting career ladder. As the drone flew lower, a stunned silence began to descend around the stadium and then, as it hovered near the center circle, there was a sudden explosion of outrage. It was carrying an Albanian flag.

Worth Dying for: The Power and Politics of Flags - Tim

Timothy John Marshall (born 1 May 1959) is a British journalist, author, and broadcaster, specialising in foreign affairs and international diplomacy. Marshall is a guest commentator on world events for the BBC, [1] Sky News and a guest presenter on LBC, and was formerly the diplomatic and also foreign affairs editor for Sky News. Every nation is now represented by a flag, testament to Europe’s influence on the modern world as its empires expanded and ideas spread around the globe. As Johann Wolfgang von Goethe told the designer of the Venezuelan flag, Francisco de Miranda, “A country starts out from a name and a flag, and it then becomes them, just as a man fulfils his destiny.”

This was a terrific book! The author takes the reader on a world and history tour to describe the flags of the world. Marshall goes further than current nation states and discusses the flags of non-state actors such as the Red Cross, Hezbollah, the United Nations and NATO. Each color and design on every flag has some type of meaning, either real or legend. Some flags have symbols of piece, others display swords, or an AK-47. Colors on flags can represent ethnic groups, religion, or red for blood combined with white for peace. Marshall's blog, 'Foreign Matters', was short-listed for the Orwell Prize 2010. [8] In 2004 he was a finalist in the Royal Television Society's News Event category for his Iraq War coverage. He won finalist certificates in 2007, for a report on the Mujahideen, and in 2004 for his documentary 'The Desert Kingdom' which featured exclusive access to Crown Prince Abdullah and his palaces. Tim Marshall is reported to be a supporter of Leeds United - on Politics Live on 22 February 2022, a Leeds United logo was visible. In his book Shadowplay: The Inside Story of Europe's Last War, Marshall says that he was supporting Bayern Munich in the 1999 UEFA Champions League final against Manchester United because he was a Leeds United supporter. 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. He said: "It's instantly recognisable.You don't need to read and write. You don't need to know much about history.You see that flag, you know what it is. Immediately, right across the world."

Tim Marshall | Waterstones Tim Marshall | Waterstones

However, what irked me were areas where Tim discusses, often unrequired for the context of the book, the political and cultural positioning of countries. These areas appear to be based more on Tim's opinions rather than facts, contain inconsistencies and stereotypes, and make the book fall short of a good read. There are hundreds of deep-sea creatures lurking at the bottom of the ocean, and there could be thousands more yet to be discovered What does a flag say about the country that flies it? Journalist Tim Marshall looks at the stories behind dozens of the world’s flags in the new book “A Flag Worth Dying For: The Power and Politics of National Symbols.”Then, I reached the 'flags of fear' chapter. Let's put aside the fact that the author chose to focus solely on flags purporting to represent Islam. Marshall meekly tried to defend this in the beginning by saying that, by focusing on Islam he was not singling it out, but he was making it more relevant to the reader and more relatable in terms of current affairs. So talking about Islam in an us-versus-them-way makes for a capturing read. Why couldn't he have included the Nazi and Communist flags here? It would have fit better and made for a more balanced chapter. But moving on. In nine chapters (covering the USA, UK, Europe, Middle East, Asia, Africa, Latin America, international flags, and flags of terror), Tim Marshall’s A Flag Worth Dying For examines the systems of symbols that represent nation states and non-state actors (including ISIS, Hezbollah, and Hamas), and how they figure in diplomatic relations and events today. That was the case in October 2014 when the Serbian national soccer team hosted Albania at the Partizan Stadium in Belgrade. It was Albania’s first visit to the Serbian capital since 1967. The intervening years had witnessed the Yugoslav civil war, including the conflict with the ethnic Albanians in Kosovo. That ended in 1999 with the de facto partition of Serbia, following a three-month NATO bombing of Serb forces, towns, and cities. Then, in 2008, Kosovo unilaterally declared itself an independent state. The move was supported by Albania and recognized by many countries; Spain, notably, was one that did not. It understood that the sight of the Kosovar flag flying above the capital of an independent Kosovo might galvanize the Catalonian independence movement. First on parade is America’s star-spangled Old Glory, revered at home yet often reviled abroad. Its nemesis, the Confederacy flag, explains Marshall, variously symbolised states’ rights, the Klan and the good old South. Marshall’s style is incredibly easy to read and explains things in just the right detail so you’re not entirely in the deep end for any novices (like me) yet doesn’t get repetitive, so it certainly would be suitable for anyone interested in learning more about history and well flags.

Worth Dying for by Tim Marshall | Waterstones

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 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. Tim Marshall was Diplomatic Editor and foreign correspondent for Sky News. After thirty years’ experience in news reporting and presenting, he left full time news journalism to concentrate on writing and analysis. 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. For thousands of years flags have represented our hopes and dreams. We wave them. Burn them. March under their colors. And still, in the twenty-first century, we die for them. Flags fly at the UN, on Arab streets, from front porches in Texas. They represent the politics of high power as well as the politics of the mob. The Future of Geography - How Power and Politics in Space will Change our World. (Elliott and Thompson. Released April 2023)

In this brisk, entertaining read, Marshall successfully answers a puzzling question: how can a simple piece of cloth come to mean so much? Marshall presents an informative survey of these highly visible symbols of national or international pride.”