Few books have left me as dissatisfied as this one in that the book seemed to regard various geopolitical, civic governance, and other subjects that should, by rights, be exactly what I'm looking for. However, this book is almost singular in the way that it baits and switches the reader into a tirade about the racism of colonialism and similar tired subjects.
For example, the book's cover notes Afghanistan, and then proceeds to spend all of 5000 words on the country, primarily offering the insight that local tribal leaders and the Taliban offer governance services and exercise sovereignty on par or at a better level than the "official" government, which isn't news to anybody over the age of 16.
The book is replete with such simplifications of the nature of governance in these societies, focusing on the "post-colonial studies approach" to the nature of these societies, never holding them to any objective standard. The blase cultural relativism being peddled by this book is frankly naive, and doesn't serve to help understand the culture of these societies or governance structures per se.
I definitely wouldn't recommend this book: for all the insights on the many-fabled governance models of East African tribes, it's nothing that hasn't been seen before and done much better than this book does it. If you're in your teens and only just uncovering the liquid nature of states, read it - otherwise, it's too basic and biased to bring value.
3/10