In this landmark book, Robert D. Kaplan, veteran correspondent for The Atlantic Monthly and author of Balkan Ghosts, shows how American imperialism...
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Jan 29, 2012
Glenn
rated it: 
There is much to like about this book, and some things that irritate. The chief point that America is an empire is well taken, even though I don’t think there are many serious people that dispute it. My favorite reference in the book is to the notion among the military about how amateurs discuss strategy, while the real professionals discuss logistics. This applies to business, politics and really any leadership endeavor. Developing the strategy is easy compared to the tough work of implementati
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Aug 24, 2009
Andrew
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I've read some less than favorable reviews of this book, mostly by those types who find the idea of American imperialism an unsavory concept. But the fact of the matter is the American empire is a reality and has been going strong for half a century. Rather than waste time equivocating over what does or does not equate to imperialsim, Kaplan dives right in visiting forward operating bases (FOBs) where Army Special Forces, FAOs, and Marines are projecting American soft power. Instead of occupy
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Feb 02, 2009
Cupcake
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Here's a book that both de-mystifies and confirms the nagging suspicion (and often denial) some of us have about our country's imperialistic tendencies. The book is fascinating on many levels. It is a confirmation of those imperialistic leanings, suggested by Kaplan's constant comparisons to British Imperialism and to various foreign policy objectives put forth by suits in DC. But Kaplan's expose of the real-world mechanics of our foreign policy is where the book gets really interesting. Kap
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Dec 03, 2008
Andrew
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This is the kind of book I usually read in a sitting. And, I have been following Kaplan's pieces in the Atlantic (some of which make up this book) with great enthusiasm for several years. But, golly, I'm on page 72 and I just can't be fucked. It's boring, and I hate to say it, sloppy. Gonna give it a go just to learn about what the A teams did on Sept 12, but my initial impression is that this is jingoistic second-rate John McPhee.
I made it through the Colombia section then left this More...
I made it through the Colombia section then left this More...
Jul 29, 2011
Mike
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5 Stars! I hated this book…at first. Why? I bought it in 2007. Kaplan’s main thesis is that we are an American Empire, in the vein of Roman, Venetian and British empires. At first I thought, oh shit, Kaplan has gone Code Pink on me. I just retired from the military and he is calling me an imperialist. Not exactly what I wanted to hear. I put the book away until now. But this is a fantastic story that demanded to be read. Kaplan’s main theme:
“Imperialism is but a form of isolationis More...
“Imperialism is but a form of isolationis More...
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May 29, 2010
Mark
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4 stars for a fascinating look at the Current American solider, especially the Special Operations Forces (SOF). Shows that the SOF community is much more than the "kick the door down, kill-em" stereotype. The author builds a compelling case that America is the last great "Imperial" force, much like the ancient forces (i.e., Rome, Great Britain).
I did not like his political lean at the end of the book or his cheap shot/blame at Evangelical Christians. It wasn't More...
I did not like his political lean at the end of the book or his cheap shot/blame at Evangelical Christians. It wasn't More...
Jul 29, 2011
Sjonni
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Kaplan embeds with US troops in various theaters around the world and reports first hand on the nature of the American empire and its forces.
"Whether it's the RUF (Revolutionary United Front), al-Qaeda, or Serbian Chetniks, one unifying factor is that none of these people know how to have a normal relationship with a woman, and that lies at the root of their cruelty."
Lt Col. Adolph, U.N. security officer to Yemen.
"Whether it's the RUF (Revolutionary United Front), al-Qaeda, or Serbian Chetniks, one unifying factor is that none of these people know how to have a normal relationship with a woman, and that lies at the root of their cruelty."
Lt Col. Adolph, U.N. security officer to Yemen.
Dec 17, 2009
Steve
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The vast net of US military commitments around the globe is largely invisible to the american taxpaying public - and Imperial Grunts does a good job of taking the reader on a tour of this world
I found myself reassured by what I read here - the military on display here is smart, quiet, adaptable, and effective. This is the way a global war against non-state actors needs to be fought.
But I found my enjoyment of this new world, and all its very important foreign policy impli More...
I found myself reassured by what I read here - the military on display here is smart, quiet, adaptable, and effective. This is the way a global war against non-state actors needs to be fought.
But I found my enjoyment of this new world, and all its very important foreign policy impli More...
Apr 01, 2009
This is an awesome book concerning the life of a military personnel around various parts of the world, in particular Special Operation Forces. This book brings to light the attitude, the patriotism and values of these soldiers; written to portray these things through their perspective. Kaplan does a tremendous job to surrender his civilian perspective in order to tell the story of his journeys.
Feb 14, 2009
Dan
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This is a fantastic book. While it is stunningly politically incorrect, Mr. Kaplan has reason to state his hard truths and doesnt shy from them. Such bravery is to be commended.
I think the book can be read just as well in either the "survey of the military" form of Mr. Kaplan's design or as a primer on the culture war of the United States.
I think the book can be read just as well in either the "survey of the military" form of Mr. Kaplan's design or as a primer on the culture war of the United States.
Feb 19, 2008
James
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A great survey of a lot of what our armed forces are like and what they're doing around the world today. The American system is an empire in all but name, and this book recognizes that reality and shows how that empire is being maintained and extended by many means.
A fascinating look into what's going on in many regions where our government has decided it has a stake in events and into the personalities and lives of some of our people in uniform. This is the first book of an intende More...
A fascinating look into what's going on in many regions where our government has decided it has a stake in events and into the personalities and lives of some of our people in uniform. This is the first book of an intende More...
May 10, 2009
Zach
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Pretty good. Interesting review of Special Forces deployments in Yemen, Mongolia, Philipines, Colombia, Iraq and Afghanistan.
Kaplan makes interesting points about the increasing regional and class differences in the military. Also his discussion of the nature of empire is interesting, not saying I agree, but he makes some interesting poins.
Kaplan's biggest problem is himself. He often lets his own political bias show and makes broad generalizations, he has a few in More...
Kaplan makes interesting points about the increasing regional and class differences in the military. Also his discussion of the nature of empire is interesting, not saying I agree, but he makes some interesting poins.
Kaplan's biggest problem is himself. He often lets his own political bias show and makes broad generalizations, he has a few in More...
Dec 03, 2007
Jim
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A tough read, at least compared to the other Kaplan book I read, To the Ends of the Earth, but a comprehensive look at the American military on the ground. I found myself with very mixed feelings regarding our covert operations throughout the world many of which seem to have backfired. As a fan of openess and honesty the lying and treachery of political intrigue are pretty distasteful stuff. Liberty and Freedom as buzzwords playing second fiddle to political necessity defined by those with money
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Nov 30, 2011
Kaplan appears to endorse the belief that the USA is a declining imperial power trying to police the world as did the Roman Empire. He is really fond of unconventional forces, especially the Green Berets [about 90% of his book] and the US Marine Corps. He does not to seem to be too fond of general officers and diplomats but loves junior officers and the enlisted ranks. It was an interesting read.
Feb 26, 2007
Shaun
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Now, the book isnt about how much things may suck in the military, it's more about how things really go down on FOBs in the deployed SF community.
If you dont know anything about the military, READ IT. If you think you know everything about the military, READ IT.
Having been part of it for only 4 months, I find Kagan's descriptions of SF soldiers extremely accurate, and their missions as well.
He tells it how it is. I find myself saying,"Mmmmhmm, praise it s More...
If you dont know anything about the military, READ IT. If you think you know everything about the military, READ IT.
Having been part of it for only 4 months, I find Kagan's descriptions of SF soldiers extremely accurate, and their missions as well.
He tells it how it is. I find myself saying,"Mmmmhmm, praise it s More...
Mar 07, 2010
Cwhittall
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Some chapters are more interesting than others, but overall, I highly recommend this tour of Americal military operations worldwide, including the places we all hear about daily, and dozens of countries your average American has no idea we have a military presence in.
Jul 27, 2011
Kash
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The most amazing book on the US military. Very well written, easy to read and understand. Increased my respect for the United States military a lot and I now appreciate them more than ever. Good job!
Sep 22, 2009
Tommy
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Eye-opening book about what the military has been doing since 9/11. Kaplan spends most of his time with Army Special Forces, who are focusing a lot on humanitarian work to convince the hearts and minds of people around the world to trust the U.S. Highly recommended if you want a ground-level perspective that you can't see on the news.
Dec 29, 2008
Andrew
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Will review the book when I'm done, but the difference in mindset and training between deployed Marines and Army is staggering.
Feb 21, 2008
Nick
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Really enjoyable read that focuses on the experiences of non commissioned officers that are stationed in countries that, while not on the radar screen of most Americans, are crucial to the security and interests of the country (think Indonesia).
The key takeaway from this book for me was that the strength of the American Army is not in the generals or the foot soldiers, but instead in the well trained, high performing NCOs who are given the flexibility to make independent decisions More...
The key takeaway from this book for me was that the strength of the American Army is not in the generals or the foot soldiers, but instead in the well trained, high performing NCOs who are given the flexibility to make independent decisions More...
Jul 28, 2011
An excellent read defintely makes my short list for best authors I've ever read.
Nov 03, 2009
Griff
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First-rate reporting on America's military in various venues around the world
Sep 30, 2008
Michael
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A great in depth look at the vastness and extent of the American military and the world it has to manage, told from the perspective of those troops on the ground, whether in Columbia, Mongolia, Africa, The Philippines, Iraq, Afghanistan, and elsewhere. This book will fundamentally impact the perspective of anyone who wants to better understand the quiet work our military professionals do day in and day out all over the world, and it will clearly illustrate for readers the necessity for American
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Nov 19, 2008
Allisonperkel
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a solid book that has Kaplan a little too embedded and a little too jingoistic. However he has some strong ideas for what is right and what is wrong with the US military. In general its important to remember that Kaplan is pro soft empire (and possibly someone who sees the Indian wars in s very pro USA light)
While there was a lot of good in this book - it was far too...pro empire for me to really get into. Additionally it was very military term heavy - in a boring way. Still for a pe More...
While there was a lot of good in this book - it was far too...pro empire for me to really get into. Additionally it was very military term heavy - in a boring way. Still for a pe More...
Jan 23, 2008
Don
rated it:
An outstanding book! Very easy read with some real life, down to earth characters.
VERY interesting insight into some forgotten (by me) areas of the world (Yemen, Columbia, Mongolia...), what has happened there in the past, and what's going on around the world today.
Changed my mind about the U.S. as an imperialist nation and what that means.
Surprisingly the author keeps making some major grammatical errors (he's not trying to be Elmore Leonard) and for a geogr More...
VERY interesting insight into some forgotten (by me) areas of the world (Yemen, Columbia, Mongolia...), what has happened there in the past, and what's going on around the world today.
Changed my mind about the U.S. as an imperialist nation and what that means.
Surprisingly the author keeps making some major grammatical errors (he's not trying to be Elmore Leonard) and for a geogr More...
Dec 16, 2009
tim
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Want to know what it is like on the ground for the US military serving overseas? Want to know how many different countries we currently have troops in? Great book, albeit very biased towards war in general. Author is a historian / journalist who embeds himself with Special Forces and Marines. This leads to a biased view of the troops opinions since these are the guys who LOVE war. Any any rate it is still a very cool book and worth reading to get a better idea of what our military is trying
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Jun 06, 2009
EJD
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Kaplan is turning out to be the Ernie Pyle of this generation.
Contrasting the title, worth reading to find out about our anti-imperialistic drive world-wide to strengthen standing governments and reduce the number of lawless zones around the world.
This is what the GWOT is really about, while Iraq is where our attention is focused. A tremendous lot of talented young men living and working in (thank god) relative anonymity around the world finally getting to do what Kennedy More...
Contrasting the title, worth reading to find out about our anti-imperialistic drive world-wide to strengthen standing governments and reduce the number of lawless zones around the world.
This is what the GWOT is really about, while Iraq is where our attention is focused. A tremendous lot of talented young men living and working in (thank god) relative anonymity around the world finally getting to do what Kennedy More...
Jul 29, 2011
Kaplan is a good writer, a great observer, and just gets it.
This book, and the follow up, are outstanding peeks behind the curtain of our military, from the conventional to the decidely unconventional.
Kaplan deserves to be known as the Ernie Pyle of the present day.
Oh yeah, and nothing beats reading conversations with military folks:
" You are as f#@ed up as a football bat"
This book, and the follow up, are outstanding peeks behind the curtain of our military, from the conventional to the decidely unconventional.
Kaplan deserves to be known as the Ernie Pyle of the present day.
Oh yeah, and nothing beats reading conversations with military folks:
" You are as f#@ed up as a football bat"
Dec 17, 2009
Evan
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Awesome profile of the modern US military, particularly its next-generation operations in counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency throughout the world. Kaplan understands the US soldier better than any other military writer out there today, and does an admirable job introducing him (blemishes and all) to a public increasingly out of touch with the military. This book is intended as only the first in a series on the US military; I can't wait for the next volume.
