Robert D. Kaplan Books

"The Good American is a story about courage, intense loneliness, and the State Department's golden age during the late Cold War and post-Cold War. It is also a celebration of ground level reporting and getting a worm's eye view of crisis zones. Robert Gersony, a high-school dropout later awarded a bronze star in Vietnam, spent over four decades on the ground in virtually every war and natural disaster zone in the world. Interviewing hundreds of refugees and displaced persons in each place to assess humanitarian crises, Gersony's research and thorough reports had an immense, underappreciated impact on US foreign policy across the globe. In every case, his recommendations made it smarter and more humane, often dramatically so. In his career as a journalist, Robert D. Kaplan often crossed paths with Gersony while covering the "hot" moments of the Cold War and its aftermath. Even as a biography, this is Kaplan's most personal book to date, and through Gersony's story, he makes a poignant case for how American diplomacy should be conducted--with a clear eye toward facts on the ground--at a time when diplomacy is too often being left behind."-- Provided by publisher

The Greater Middle East, spanning from the Mediterranean to China, has long been a crossroads of empires, including Macedonian, Mongol, Ottoman, Russian, and British. However, the dissolution of these empires in the twentieth century has left postcolonial states grappling with instability due to power struggles, leadership vacuums, and arbitrary borders set by departing imperial powers, often disregarding local geography and political realities. In this exploration, Robert Kaplan delves into the region's complex history to uncover how past events shape contemporary issues and how the pursuit of stability frequently clashes with democratic ideals. Kaplan advocates for a realistic approach to understanding the Greater Middle East, highlighting the failures of Western democracy promotion and the emergence of a new economic imperialism, particularly as China's ambitions position it as a crucial link between Europe and East Asia. The Greater Middle East remains a battleground for future great power conflicts, with centuries of imperial influence continuing to affect current political dynamics.

On the day that Paris fell to the Nazis, R. G. Waldeck was checking into the swankiest hotel in Bucharest, the Athene Palace. A cosmopolitan center during the war, the hotel was populated by Italian and German oilmen hoping to secure new business opportunities in Romania, international spies cloaked in fake identities, and Nazi officers whom Waldeck discovered to be intelligent but utterly bloodless. A German Jew and a reporter for Newsweek, Waldeck became a close observer of the Nazi invasion. As King Carol first tried to placate the Nazis, then abdicated the throne in favor of his son, Waldeck was dressing for dinners with diplomats and cozying up to Nazi officers to get insight and information. From her unique vantage, she watched as Romania, a country with a pro-totalitarian elite and a deep strain of anti-Semitism, suffered civil unrest, a German invasion, and an earthquake, before turning against the Nazis. A striking combination of social intimacy and disinterest political analysis, Athene Palace evokes the elegance and excitement of the dynamic international community in Bucharest before the world had comes to grips with the horrors of war and genocide. Waldeck’s account strikingly presents the finely wrought surface of dinner parties, polite discourse, and charisma, while recognizing the undercurrents of violence and greed that ran through the denizens of Athene Palace.

Kaplan travels from the devastated countries of West Africa and the fundamentalist enclaves of Egypt and Iran to the culturally explosive lands of Central Asia, India, Pakistan and Southeast Asia, providing intimate portraits of their peoples.

Author of Balkan Ghosts, Robert D. Kaplan now travels from West Africa to Southeast Asia to report on a world of disintegrating nation-states, warring nationalities, metastasizing populations, and dwindling resources. He emerges with a gritty tour de force of travel writing and political journalism. Whether he is walking through a shantytown in the Ivory Coast or a death camp in Cambodia, talking with refugees, border guards, or Iranian revolutionaries, Kaplan travels under the most arduous conditions and purveys the most startling truths. Intimate and intrepid, erudite and visceral, The Ends of the Earth is an unflinching look at the places and peoples that will make tomorrow's headlines--and the history of the next millennium. "Kaplan is an American master of...travel writing from hell...Pertinent and compelling."--New York Times Book Review "An impressive work. Most travel books seem trivial beside it."--Washington Post Book World

Eastward to Tartary , Robert Kaplan's first book to focus on a single region since his bestselling Balkan Ghosts , introduces readers to an explosive and little-known part of the world destined to become a tinderbox of the future.Kaplan takes us on a spellbinding journey into the heart of a volatile region, stretching from Hungary and Romania to the far shores of the oil-rich Caspian Sea. Through dramatic stories of unforgettable characters, Kaplan illuminates the tragic history of this unstable area that he describes as the new fault line between East and West. He ventures from Turkey, Syria, and Israel to the turbulent countries of the Caucasus, from the newly rich city of Baku to the deserts of Turkmenistan and the killing fields of Armenia. The result is must reading for anyone concerned about the state of our world in the decades to come.

Mediterranean Winteris a lyrical account of Robert Kaplan's journey in the off season around the Mediterranean, retracing the footsteps of his youth. A beautifully written meditation on the golden age of travel and the pleasures of history, it takes us from Tunisia, once proud Carthage, rival to Rome, through Sicily, up the Dalmatian coast and into Greece.Mediterranean Winteris alive with the spirits of the past, from Hadrian and Homer to Hannibal and Ibn Khaldun, and closes with a fascinating pilgrimage to Patrick Leigh Fermor, whom Kaplan visits in his hideaway on the Aegean.

On the world maps common in America, the Western Hemisphere lies front and center, while the Indian Ocean region all but disappears. This convention reveals the geopolitical focus of the now-departed twentieth century, but in the twenty-first century that focus will fundamentally change. In this pivotal examination of the countries known as “Monsoon Asia”—which include India, Pakistan, China, Indonesia, Burma, Oman, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Tanzania—bestselling author Robert D. Kaplan shows how crucial this dynamic area has become to American power. It is here that the fight for democracy, energy independence, and religious freedom will be lost or won, and it is here that American foreign policy must concentrate if the United States is to remain relevant in an ever-changing world. From the Horn of Africa to the Indonesian archipelago and beyond, Kaplan exposes the effects of population growth, climate change, and extremist politics on this unstable region, demonstrating why Americans can no longer afford to ignore this important area of the world.

Uncovering the ancient roots of conflict in this explosive region, veteran reporter Kaplan presents a vivid portrait of a land ruled by ethnic violence and political oppression, and of a people struggling to create their own future.

Robert Kaplan, bestselling author of Balkan Ghosts, offers up scrupulous, far-ranging insights on the world to come in a spirited, rousing, and provocative book that has earned a place at the top of the reading lists of the world's policy makers. The end of the Cold War has not ushered in the global peace and prosperity that many had anticipated. Volatile new democracies in Eastern Europe, fierce tribalism in Africa, civil war and ethnic violence in the Near East, and widespread famine and disease—not to mention the brutal rift developing as wealthy nations reap the benefits of seemingly boundless technology while other parts of the world slide into chaos—are among the issues Kaplan identifies as the most important for charting the future of geopolitics. Historical antecedents in Gibbon's Decline and Fall and in the legacies of statesmen such as Henry Kissinger contribute to this bracingly prophetic framework for addressing the new global reality. Bold, erudite, and profoundly important, The Coming Anarchy is a compelling must-read by one of today's most penetrating writers and provocative minds.

A moving meditation on recent geopolitical crises, viewed through the lens of ancient and modern tragedy "Spare, elegant and poignant. . . . If there is a single contemporary book that should be pressed into the hands of those who decide issues of war and peace, this is it."--John Gray, New Statesman "It is tragic that Robert D. Kaplan's luminous The Tragic Mind is so urgently needed."--George F. Will Some books emerge from a lifetime of hard-won knowledge. Robert D. Kaplan has learned, from a career spent reporting on wars, revolutions, and international politics in Europe, the Middle East, and East Asia, that the essence of geopolitics is tragedy. In The Tragic Mind, he employs the works of ancient Greek dramatists, Shakespeare, German philosophers, and the modern classics to explore the central subjects of international politics: order, disorder, rebellion, ambition, loyalty to family and state, violence, and the mistakes of power. The great dilemmas of international politics, he argues, are not posed by good versus evil--a clear and easy choice--but by contests of good versus good, where the choices are often searing, incompatible, and fraught with consequences. A deeply learned and deeply felt meditation on the importance of lived experience in conducting international relations, this is a book for everyone who wants a profound understanding of the tragic politics of our time.

The insights, discoveries and theories of great geographers and geopolitical thinkers of the past look back at critical pivotal events in history and then look forward at the evolving global scene

"An examination of the future role of the South China sea in international relations and a tour of the the nations surrounding the South China Sea and their interests in the region. In exploring each of these countries individually, Kaplan clearly shows where the conflicts may arise and why they will be challenging for the international community"--

From bestselling author Robert D. Kaplan, a prominent global thinker, comes a compelling exploration of Romania, a pivotal yet often overlooked European country. Kaplan's journey began in the 1970s when he first visited Romania, then a bleak Communist state. This experience sparked a lifelong fascination with a nation crucial to understanding Russia's current threats to Europe. The narrative interweaves memoir, travelogue, journalism, and history, chronicling Kaplan's evolution as a journalist alongside Romania's own struggles. Through Romania's story, Kaplan delves into broader themes of geography, imperialism, and the impact of historical events like the Cold War and the Holocaust. He paints a vivid picture of the country, from the grim realities of life under Nicolae Ceaușescu to the cultural richness of Transylvania. His reflections engage with historical thinkers and contemporary Romanians—philosophers, priests, and politicians—who strive to uphold humanism amid a resurgent Russia. Returning to Romania in 2013 and 2014, Kaplan observes a transformed landscape, now a destination shaped by Western influences while still grappling with its past. This work serves as an essential lens through which to comprehend the ongoing crisis involving Russia and the complexities within Europe itself.

The author of Balkan Ghosts draws on the historical wisdom of Sun-Tzu, Thucydides, Hobbes, Machiavelli, and other great thinkers to provide valuable guidelines for modern-day world leaders--in both politics and the business environments--confronted with the complex challenges of modern life. 50,000

The book delves into the pressing issues of a world facing perpetual crises, highlighting how localized disasters can escalate into global conflicts. Drawing on historical lessons, it offers insights and strategies to prevent this escalating spiral of turmoil. The author, known for their bestselling work, provides a timely analysis that emphasizes the importance of understanding geopolitical dynamics in addressing contemporary challenges.

In this insightful travelogue, geopolitical expert Robert Kaplan explores the Adriatic Sea, a historical crossroads of trade, culture, and ideas. His journey through Italy and the Balkan nations reveals a deeper narrative than the typical news stories of populism and the refugee crisis suggest. Kaplan argues that the rise of populism is a mere symptom of the waning age of nationalism, indicating that Europe's future is moving in a new direction. As he travels from Italy to Slovenia, Croatia, Montenegro, Albania, and Greece, he offers sharp cultural criticism and a comprehensive study of Europe through these nations. He uncovers historical clues about the continent's future while reflecting on contemporary issues such as the refugee crisis, resurgent nationalism, and competition for fossil fuel resources. Kaplan emphasizes that the Adriatic is poised to reclaim its status as a global trading hub, particularly as it becomes linked to China's Belt and Road initiative. Through a blend of history, literature, art, architecture, and current events, complemented by a map and photographs, he illustrates how the Adriatic's geography encapsulates Europe, providing valuable insights into the continent's destiny.

Easy-to-read and accessible, PSYCHOLOGICAL TESTING: PRINCIPLES, APPLICATIONS, AND ISSUES effectively communicates the excitement and dynamics of the field of psychological testing. Robert Kaplan and Dennis Saccuzzo provide students with a current analysis of the most widely used psychological tests in schools, professional training programs, business, industry, the military, and clinical settings. The authors offer a clear picture of how psychological tests are constructed, how they are used, and how an understanding of them can make a difference in their careers and everyday lives. Comprehensive and accurate, yet interesting and personally relevant, this book gets and keeps students' attention through the use of informal discussions and real-life examples. Important Notice: Media content referenced within the product description or the product text may not be available in the ebook version.

Robert D. Kaplan lays bare the roots of American greatness by examining the geography from which our power springs - showing how westward expansion shaped our national character, and how it should shape our foreign policy

In Reis naar de einden der aarde geeft de Amerikaanse journalist Robert Kaplan een fascinerend verslag van zijn reizen naar Afrika, het Midden-Oosten en Azië. Op grond van zijn Afrikaanse ervaringen concludeert Kaplan dat schaarste, overbevolking en epidemieën de sociale orde van onze planeet dreigen te vernietigen. Leiden sociale desintegratie en ineenstorting van het staatsgezag nu al niet tot massamoorden en vluchtelingenstromen, ook in onze richting? Nadat hij ook andere gebieden bezocht heeft, moet Kaplan dit beeld nuanceren en ook van een alomvattende dreiging die van de islam zou uitgaan, wil Kaplan niets weten. Zeker, in Egypte maken Moslimbroeders Kaplan duidelijk dat zij onverzoenlijk staan ten opzichte van de eigen overheid, Israël en het Westen, maar in Turkije en Iran wordt het Kaplan duidelijk dat achter de façade van een fanatieke islam veel oudere beschavingselementen uiteindelijk zullen zegevieren. Op grond van zijn ervaringen in de voormalige Sovjetrepublieken in Centraal-Azië, maar ook die in Zuidoost-Azië, voorspelt Kaplan dat de nationale staten die we er nu kennen plaats zullen maken voor eenheden die gebaseerd zijn op veel oudere, etnische verwantschappen. Dat dit proces zonder geweld zal verlopen en ons onberoerd zal laten, is onwaarschijnlijk. Reis mee langs de breuklijnen van de 21ste eeuw, onderga een meeslepend journalistiek avontuur.

Beschouwingen over de wereld van na de Koude Oorlog.

In this landmark book, Robert D. Kaplan, veteran correspondent for The Atlantic Monthly and author of Balkan Ghosts, shows how American imperialism and the Global War on Terrorism are implemented on the ground, mission by mission, in the most exotic landscapes around the world.

Kniha představuje svébytnou meditaci na téma Spojené státy a jejich role ve světě. Autor se na základě vzpomínek na otce, který u něj pravidelnými výlety na historická místa probudil lásku k historii Ameriky, vydává na „roadtrip“ napříč Spojenými státy z Východu na Západ. Při této jízdě je veden úvahami různých autorů o Americe, zejména pak postřehy Bernarda DeVota, jenž si byl vědom, jak mocně geografie zasahuje a ovlivňuje roli USA ve světě. Nejprve cestuje zalesněnou „vertikální“ krajinou východu, pokračuje horizontální krajinou prérií, aby nakonec stanul na břehu Pacifiku a mohl se zabývat postavením své vlasti ve světě. V průběhu celé cesty si autor zaznamenával zajímavé myšlenky o minulosti i současnosti Spojených států a jejich obyvatel, které pro českého čtenáře mohou být někdy značně provokativní, nicméně nutí k zamyšlení a představují sondu do americké duše.

Kniha zřejmě nejvýznamnějšího současného autora z oboru geopolitiky, která je jedním z hlavních děl na téma globálního vývoje světa, která v poslední době vyšla. Autor se snaží popsat základní předurčení historického vývoje jednotlivých oblastí světa tím, v jaké geografické poloze se nacházejí a jak tato ovlivňuje jejich osudy a další možný vývoj. Jde o jednu z nejdiskutovanějších knih z oblasti mezinárodní politiky a vztahů minulého roku.