One of the best things I have done, for a long time, is to join the Left Book Club. I would not have come across this, yet another excellent selection, without them.

This book gives the perspective from the third world. Unlike some books, this one does its best to be objective. This is not the story of how the third world countries are/were perfect and the west evil: which would have been fair enough to offset my education which tried to indoctrinate me into the obverse view!

It is amazing to see how stupid we all are and how easily greed over rides good judgement. Somewhat depressing, but eminently believable. ( )

A thought-provoking examination of the Third World's anti-colonial struggles in the C20th, from co-operating to try and make their agenda herd in the UN to organizing as a Non-Aligned Movement to distance thmselvs from both First and Second world interference. There are case studies of liberation movements which are often, to quote Franz Fanon, "better at the struggle for freedom or the creation of manifestos than governance", sometimes usurped by military coups (frequently sposored by the US) or by elites who speak "freedom" but are closely aligned with the First world capitalists who of course will only give financial assistance (at extortionate interest rates) in return for corporate concessions that don't benefit the local people. In the end it's an instructive but depressing book. Highly recommended. ( )

In his book, The Darker Nations, Vijay Prashad analyses the third world of the twentieth century as a project to unite formerly colonized states of Asia, Africa, and South and Central America. He looks at the major issues confronting them as they seek to build their own futures: their shared and separate ideologies, struggles for achieve economic and cultural autonomy from their former colonizers. He examines both their wins and the pitfalls they confront including monetary debt to the the IMP and the World Bank and whether to embrace the first world or to avoid its influence.

Like so many in the global north, my studies and knowledge of history has been mainly Eurocentric with little reference to the Third World. As a result, Prashad's book was a real eye opener for me. The book is divided into different nations which makes it easier to read and understand the differences and similarities between the different nations. He also avoids pedantry making it a fairly easy read for those with little or no knowledge of the problems former colonized nations faced and still face. First published in 2008, it is still as relevant and important today and I recommend it highly.

Thanks to Edelweiss+ and The New Press for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review ( )

A brilliant dialectical analysis of the political phenomenon of third world and the global political economy. This is an analysis and not a narrative and assumes some rudimentary knowledge of the world history of the 20th century on part of the reader.

The main thesis of Parishad is that the third world is a project among the formerly colonised states of Asia, Africa, and Latin America, for political, economic and cultural sovereignty and mainly for dignity. It thoroughly examines the major leaders of the third world, their ideologies and the institutions they formed and their struggles for economic and cultural sovereignty.

I liked the way the book is structured. The first part titled quest deals with the beginnings of the third world, from the League against imperialism conceived in the Brussels conference and the Bandung conference that happened after many of the third world nations have become politically independent. The second part titled pitfalls deals with the failures of the third world nations through authoritarianism, failures in land reforms, corrupt bureaucracy, failures in socialising production, local opposition from the dominant classes of the old and trying to implement policies without any proper analysis and mass mobilisation. The third part deals with the death of the third world through IMF-led liberalisation of economies and the rise of cultural nationalism in the form of chauvinism, religious intolerance and racism. In each chapter, he also provides a historical analysis of race, class and gender in the specific case.

One flaw however is that Vijay Parishad didn’t provide much attention to the people’s struggles apart from just a small mention, especially as this is titled “people’s history”. But I guess this can still be called a people’s history as it offers a view from the global south instead of being Eurocentric.

Highly recommended for anyone interested in the history of international relations, neoliberalism and the global capital.

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Reviewed here.