Appearance
The Ends of the Earth: From Togo to Turkmenistan, from Iran to Cambodia--A Journey to the Frontiers of Anarchy
Robert Kaplan succeeds in transporting the reader to East Africa, West Africa, Soutwest Asia, and Southern Asia all in one fantastically written. Kaplan has cemented his place as my favorite author of all time!
The Ends of the Earth: From Togo to Turkmenistan, from Iran to Cambodia--A Journey to the Frontiers of Anarchy
Think that all the "in-betweener" regions and remote cultures of the globe are of marginal import in the 2000s? Dream on! This book will shake you up and get you scared straight with its superb reporting.
The Ends of the Earth: From Togo to Turkmenistan, from Iran to Cambodia--A Journey to the Frontiers of Anarchy
i enjoyed this book on many levels. it provided looks into parts of the third world summarily ignored by the mainstream media. i also found Kaplan's extensive histories of the places he visited very interesting. my problem with the book: it is completely about countries with brown people in them, but the point of view is steadfastly White American. he sees many of these countries' problems as their failure to modernize without questioning the need to modernize in spite of the enormous failures that have taken place in the lands he visits. he acknowledges that traditional colonialism affected the third world, but now he feels it's time to blame the victim, ignore obvious neo-colonialism, and begin to understand why all these people are "failing." his views are vaguely racist and limited: Africans are hopeless, Asians are getting better, and Middle Eastern countries with the most Western values are sure to succeed. Kaplan never bothers to step outside of mainstream thought, even after being confronted with incredible human suffering and environmental destruction (his method of judging a country's modernity: how many computers and fax machines he sees in the cities). this is the part i found shocking. somebody who has the privilege to see the third world and its horrors and doesn't really stop to think fundamentally for a second. he never questions capitalism or technology for one second. it frightens me that this mindset is so powerful that it can't even be budged with a glimpse of its reality.
The Ends of the Earth: From Togo to Turkmenistan, from Iran to Cambodia--A Journey to the Frontiers of Anarchy
I read this wonderful book 2 years ago, after reading the initial article in the Atlantic Monthly. I now plan to purchase another copy today to reread and share. Kaplan's insight is excellent regarding myths of viable centralized governments, the impact of environment and post colonial history on current conflicts, and the resulting change in wartime paradigms. This book is very important background material for understanding current events, including terrorism, in most of this world.
The Ends of the Earth: From Togo to Turkmenistan, from Iran to Cambodia--A Journey to the Frontiers of Anarchy
With the recent events in Afghanistan and America, no more than ever is the time for people to start educating themselves on the world around them. This book shows, in part, the vaccuum created by the end of the Cold War, and the power struggles that can be blames on more than economics. This includes a very informative section on the Turkic cultures that inhabit Central Asia, as well as information on Iran. Do not rely on everything you see on TV - sit down and read this book!
The Ends of the Earth: From Togo to Turkmenistan, from Iran to Cambodia--A Journey to the Frontiers of Anarchy
Robert Kaplan takes the reader on a journey to faraway countires most of us will never have the opportunity or desire to visit. This book, like Balkan Ghosts, is filled with gory details of political and ethnic violence. At times I wondered if his hersay stories like the one about members of a street gang in Africa wearing wedding dresses while they killed were actual events or just modern urban myths. I was constantly shocked to read about the extent of enviornmental damage done in the former soviet republics around the Caspian Sea. This book full of mind boggling statistics and engaing anecdotes but lacking in answers, suggestions or hope. This book left me wishing the mainstream press would spend more time on some of the topics covered by Kaplan. I look forward to his next book where this East Coast man takes on my home turf of California. Will he be as devistated by Orange County and the forests of the Pacific Coast as he is about the deforested continents of! Africa and SE Asia? We shall soon find out...