Out of the Mountains Book Review
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.
