The Ends of the Earth: From Togo to Turkmenistan, from Iran to Cambodia, a Journey to the Frontiers of Anarchy
by Robert D. Kaplan
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 194)
Read in December, 2007
This is a depressing book.
A journey through parts of Africa, the Mideast and Asia, it chronicles the depths to which many of the world's peoples, nations, and their environments have sunk, with little to give hope for their renewal or survival.
Some of the intertwined causes: poverty, tyrannical governments, depletion and destruction of resources (the Soviet Union gets lots of points here for "ecocide" as the author terms it), overpopulation, joblessness, loss of family and cult...more
A journey through parts of Africa, the Mideast and Asia, it chronicles the depths to which many of the world's peoples, nations, and their environments have sunk, with little to give hope for their renewal or survival.
Some of the intertwined causes: poverty, tyrannical governments, depletion and destruction of resources (the Soviet Union gets lots of points here for "ecocide" as the author terms it), overpopulation, joblessness, loss of family and cult...more
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Read in August, 1998
recommends it for:
International Affairs/ Relations studies
A book I read just as I finished my IA degree in '97, and given to me from a friend with similar interests. I had previously read Balkan Ghosts, and Kaplan is a hard writer to read as his style is not page turning, attention grabbing sensationalism but straight forward reportage peppered with educated social commentary. He is a brave soul for his ambition to work in places most journalists wouldn't venture too, and he doesn't pick the most front page conflicts to talk about either (Iran and Cent...more
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Has a copy to sell/swap
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Read in August, 2007
Kaplan's overarching theme is that culture is in many ways the most determinate factor affecting the world's societies. Each country he visits in the book is almost like a case study that supports this theory. The book was written in 1996, and so the reader cannot help but notice that many of Kaplan's predictions have proven true. Great section on Iran and central Asia broadly, but the sections on Africa - the first few chapters - suck. Annoyingly, for all his insights, his prose is dry and ...more
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Read in August, 2007
recommends it for:
People interested in travel
Robert Kaplan really gets around! He seems to have a knack for showing up in volatile countries just before everything explodes. This is a fascinating book and provides an look inside some of the most unknown and god-forsaken places in the world. His thesis is that the nation state is starting to disintegrate as people line up along lines of nationality or religion. He is optimistic about the future of certain countries but fairly negative about others. This was an extremely informative boo...more
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Read in May, 2007
This sort of took me forever to read, but in the end was worth it. A mix of travel writing and political/social commentary on the countries he passes through, it's full of overwhelming information about the complicated turmoil that is the "developing" world. Written in the early 90s, much of the trip talks about the recent fall of communism, but the problems certainly haven't changed much in the last 15 years. Actually, it's mostly worse I think.
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Has a copy to sell/swap
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Read in June, 2006
Interesting book documenting the economic and cultural problems undermining the development of coherent and competent governments in the third world. A profoundly pessimistic thesis of anarchy and collapse drives Kaplan to look for bright spots in his journeys. For example, the social glue of Islam that holds secular Turkey together in the face of economic modernity and its accompanying horrors, i.e. huge slums. Highly recommended...
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Read in November, 2007
recommends it for:
Anyone
I personally dislike Kaplan's painfully liberal attitudes, which are reflected in his writings. If you can ignore that (or if you're an idiot and you agree with him) the book does give a detailed look at how different the third world is. A must read for anyone who has never traveled outside the US. If you count Cancun as outside the US or even exotic, you are who I mean.
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This book is somewhat outdated today-- I can say that, having traveled to some of the areas addressed in the book and witnessed some of the political and historical dynamics at play. That said, it gives a very good overview of the relationship of political hardship, i.e., corruption and how it is treated in-state and by outsiders. A worthwhile read.
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Read in August, 2006
This book was amazing. Kaplan is a fantastic travel writer. This was especially attractive for the remote locations he was traveling in. There appears to be a dearth of travel writings covering the areas he travels in this book. A great read for the armchair globetrotter. Or a real globetrotter for that matter.
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Read in January, 2002
I've only read a portion of this book but its stuck in my memory for years. I need to finish it. Kaplan studies refugee camps and posits that they will be a powerful tool for understanding future state collapses, displacement, civil war, etc.
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Read in February, 2007
I learned that there exists a place where Arabic, Chinese and Russian are all spoken! Kaplan wonderfully weaves travel with history and politics (which some people find sketchy). I find Kaplan to be a great start to learning about the world.
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Read in May, 2008
Amusing because it was written a little over ten years ago, and the author tries to make predictions about the development of various Middle East and Asian countries that so far have turned out to be very wrong.
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Read in January, 1996
Robert D. Kaplan is one of my favorite writers of current history. This book was written with such immediacy that it was as if I traveled with him through that part of the world, learning the ways of its people.
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Ok so Kaplan's conclusions here are a bit less offensive and semi-boneheaded than usual, his writting is excellent and he's reporting on places where too little attention is focused.
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What a journey, I found myself wanting to visit some of the places and thanking God that I don't have to go to others. Always good reading when he travels.
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Read in December, 2007
How we wound up where we are today -- in part -- I just wish it were more current. Too bad you can't write a book like this every 5 years.
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Read in March, 2005
recommends it for:
anyone interested in traveling
This book was an incredible glimpse at so much of the world that is neglected by the usual traveler.
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Read in March, 2007
recommends it for:
Dan
George Bush should have read this book before dragging us into an unwinable war!
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