The document summarizes key details about several countries discussed in Parag Khanna's book "The Second World" as part of the concept of the "New Great Game" for influence in Central Asia. It describes Kazakhstan as the largest landlocked country with a major economy based on oil and natural gas reserves. Mexico is named for its capital and has a predominantly Catholic population with an economy based on energy and tourism. Colombia has diverse geography including the Andes Mountains and a history marked by revolutions. Iran is referred to as a "hostile state" with a long history across Persia and the Islamic Republic.
2. The Great Game The term ‘The Great Game’ originated in the 19th century to describe the conflict between the British and Russian Empires’ rivalry towards gaining influence in central Asia The term is used today to describe a ‘New Great Game,’ which involves a struggle for influence in central Asia between the West (countries of NATO) and the East (countries of SCO) The conflicts between the two sides of the Great Games have always been linked to economic benefits The Great Game that Khanna describes in his book ‘The Second World’ is over influence of countries that are rich in oil production
3. Kazakhstan Kazakhstan is the 9th largest country in the world, but is regarded as the largest landlocked country in the world The geography of the country includes flatlands, steppes, taigas, rock-canyons, hills, deltas, snow-capped mountains, and deserts There are 16.2 million people living there The largest sector of the Kazakhstanian economy, as discussed by Parag Khanna in his book ‘The Second World,’ is the energy sector. Namely, the vast reserves of oil and other natural resources in the country. The amount of oil available to Kazakhstan helped them to gain economic stability and thus gain their independence The oil reserves are why Khanna calls this section of his book, “Kazakhstan: Happiness is Multiple Pipelines
4. Mexico Mexico got its name form its capital city, Mexico City, not the other way around Once Mexico gained its independence from Spain this was decided to become the name of the country Mexico is predominantly a Catholic nation that has nearly half of the country going to regular church services Energy resources and tourism drive the economy, it is a very popular tourist attraction The most popular sport in Mexico as it is with many countries in the world is the sport of soccer
5. Colombia Colombia has a very diverse geography that is generally separated into a few categories, ranging from the Andes Mountains to coastal areas The Andes Mountains are one of the biggest mountain ranges in the world and is home to many people in the nation of Colombia Most people in Colombia maintain loyalty to the Roman Catholic religion, as is common with many Latin American areas Colombia has a brutal history of revolutions Fernando Botero is a Colombian artist that is world famous for his inflated depictions of people
6. Iran Parag Khanna refers to Iran when he discusses the great game has a ‘hostile state’ Iran is a war-torn area that is very hostile to all people in the region and has constant bloodshed The country is officially known as the Islamic Republic of Iran The country is known as both Iran and Persia in different respects, and the two terms are interchangeable in everyday conversation Iran is home to one of the oldest continuous civilizations in the world, as the different powers and empires have constantly fallen and risen throughout history
7. Sources Khanna, Parag. The Second World: Empires and Influence in the New Global Order. New York: Random House Publishing, INC., 2008. 71-78. Print. Wikipedia.org
