“A calm voice of reason during trying times.”

Today’s Dayton Daily News has a feature piece about SILK ROAD TO RUIN. Because the News requires registration, I’m posting it here:

Former Ohio resident paints Central Asia as political gold mine
By Vick Mickunas
Contributing Writer

Turn back the clock 30 years. A junior-high school student perused a National Geographic magazine in his mother’s backyard in Kettering.

He recalled that moment. “I pulled out a fold-out photograph of a pair of horsemen riding across the steppe. Jagged mountains filled the horizon. The photo had been taken in the Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic, which — as I remember it — the magazine described as ‘the most remote place on Earth.’ “

That day, a dream was born. The young man was Ted Rall. He graduated from Fairmont West High School in 1981. In 1996, Rall traced the legendary Silk Road across Asia for a magazine article. His dream had become a reality.

Today, Rall is a nationally renowned political cartoonist, columnist, war correspondent, media pundit, travel writer and the author of more than a dozen books. Based in New York City, he’s made numerous treks to the countries known as the “Stans” — Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan.

Central Asia seems remote to most Americans. Rall is convinced that we need to start paying more attention to it. He decided to write an in-depth political analysis of the region.

Those former Soviet republics may be obscure to most of us now, but Rall expects that to change soon. Why? Because the lands contain vast deposits of petroleum and natural gas. The Russians are interested. So are the Chinese.

Rall has written an eye-opening account, Silk Road to Ruin — Is Central Asia the New Middle East? The book details how the United States is making an effort to forge alliances with the leaders of these nations, most of whom are dictators.

We have competition. Rall sees a future where the “superpowers are vying for control of energy-rich areas.” He suggests that U.S. policy in Central Asia needs to change because “we need to have friendly relations with the people of these countries — not with the tyrants who are keeping them down.”

We squandered one opportunity with the collapse of the Soviet Union, he says.

Rall briefed me on the policy errors that took place. “These states became independent in late 1991. This was really Bill Clinton’s ballgame. U.S. policy toward the Stans was shaped by Clinton, and he blew it. It’s gone downhill since then.”

“Since 9/11, George Bush has really ramped up support for these heinous dictators. Both the Democratic and Republican parties have been equally, blissfully unaware, stupid and wrong when it came to Central Asia.”

Silk Road to Ruin is a masterful blend of history, policy, travelogue and insights. This reviewer found it vastly informative and entertaining. Rall serves up pithy essays that offer readers glimpses of the beauties and the dangers of these exotic lands. Rall’s maps, photos and distinctive graphic cartoons illustrate the text.

He’s a frequent guest on CNBC. “I’m a calm voice of reason during trying times,” he says. He’s also a gifted writer.

Ted Rall will give a multimedia presentation for Silk Road at Books & Co. at The Greene, 4453 Walnut St., Beavercreek, at 2 p.m. Saturday.

Silk Road to Ruin — Is Central Asia the New Middle East? by Ted Rall, NBM Publishing, 304 pages, $23.