The Formless Empire
A Short History of Diplomacy and Warfare in Central Asia
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The Role of Nomadic Culture in the Evolution of Non-Western Power Politics Central Asia, a vast region extending from eastern Russia and across Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgystan, Mongolia, and western China, has its own tradition of foreign policy rooted in the ancient nomadic culture of many of its peoples as well as the region's distinctive geography. From the thundering hooves of Mongol or Cossack cavalry across the steppes to the clanking of tanks on parade in Moscow or Beijing, elements of this system still cast a shadow on the region at the heart of Earth's largest continent. By tracing the evolution of Central Asian warfare and diplomacy through a series of historical examples, ranging from the ancient Xiongnu people and medieval Mongol Empire to the fall of the Soviet Union, historian Christopher Mott argues that the original system of informal relationships, indirect rule, and rapid military movement did not entirely fade from the region with the eclipse of the nomadic powers during the Middle Ages. In fact, many states like China, Iran, and Russia had already been influenced by nomadic people, and in so doing adapted their own diplomatic and military policies accordingly. The Formless Empire: A Short History of Diplomacy and Warfare in Central Asia is an engaging study of the nature of non-Western imperialism and great-power strategy. In addition, the book demonstrates that regional histories can show us the variety of political possibilities in the past and how they were adapted to changing circumstances--a point made even more important by the rapid changes facing global security and new forms of empire building. "Christopher Mott's extremely erudite and wide-ranging examination of the history of Central Asia shows us that we have been far too narrow-minded and Eurocentric in thinking about power and how the global system changes historically. Given the current interest in 'caliphates' we need to reflect on the history of the areas of the world that dance to a different historical drum than we do in the West." --Andrew John Williams, author of France, Britain, and the United States in the Twentieth Century
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Please give my Amazon review a helpful vote - https://www.amazon.com/review/R16PAORE2NVDII/ref=cm_cr_rdp_perm
Until I listened to Professor Harls' lectures from the Great Courses about [[ASIN:1629970352 The Barbarian Empires of the Steppes]], I had always taken the steppe nomads for granted. They seem to sweep in from stage right - if you're Europe - or stage left - if you're Chinese (but actually “stage north” from the nomads' perspective, as Professor Harl points out), but I had never considered them as a subject in themselves.
The reality is that the steppes have always played a huge role in human civilization, a role that covers 6,000 years and 6,000 miles. The steppes impinge on the civilized peoples of the world of Persia, Rome, China, and their successors. Ignoring steppe history is simply foolish.
This book is an excellent follow-up on Professor Harl's lectures. The author, Christopher Mott, has an overriding thesis about how the geography and culture of the Steppes formed the political culture of the steppe barbarians. Mott's essential point is that the huge, open area of the steppes, with the diversity of cultures and language, and the fluidity of population created by a horse culture without cities, shaped the successive steppe empires into a common method of empire that involved fluid military tactics, rule through local elites, the maintenance of some strong points, and a generally more tolerant approach to rulership than was found in more static cultures. After making this argument, he visits virtually every culture that formed on the steppes from 2,000 BS to the modern day.
It is a fascinating story. I learned more about the peoples of the steppes and their civilizations, kingdoms and empires than I ever have. More importantly, I was able to start connecting events with each other and to gain an appreciation for the Transoxanian cultures that today we tend to view as insignificant and unimportant. As penance for my prior attitudes, I have made a game of memorizing the names of the 5 Muslim former-Soviet states in order from west to east - Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan. (Thank you, Spellcheck!)
What was particularly interesting was Mott's observations on how the steppes are eventually subjugated by the Russia and China, and the future of the steppes. Russia has a lot of underpopulated steppe and forest country, while China has a lot of population. China has historically hegemonized former non-Chinese territory by sending Han Chinese into Xinjiang. Might that be a future strategy for an upsurging China and a declining Russia?
This is a fairly short, informative and well-written book. I recommend it, perhaps in conjunction with the Harl lectures.
