Imperial Grunts: On the Ground with the American Military, from Mongolia to the Philippines to Iraq and Beyond

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Imperial Grunts: On the Ground with the American Military, from Mongolia to the Philippines to Iraq and Beyond

3.91 of 5 stars 3.91 · rating details · 637 ratings · 65 reviews

A fascinating, unprecedented first-hand look at the soldiers on the front lines on the Global War on Terror. Plunging deep into midst of some of the hottest conflicts on the globe, Robert D. Kaplan takes us through mud and jungle, desert and dirt to the men and women on the ground who are leading the charge against threats to American security. These soldiers, fighting in...more

Paperback, 448 pages

Published September 12th 2006 by Vintage (first published January 1st 2005)

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Nov 28, 2012 David P rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: current-events, travel, war

Robert Kaplan is a writer in the mold of young Winston Churchill, marching towards the sound of the guns and reporting from where the action is. His "Imperial Grunts" follows the wide-ranging activities of US elite troops--the "special forces," the "green berets" and in the last part, the Marine Corps in Iraq. If the US has taken on the role of a global police force--the way the British Empire once tried to do--here are the cops on the beat.

In addition to Iraq, he visits Yemen, Colombia, the P...more Robert Kaplan is a writer in the mold of young Winston Churchill, marching towards the sound of the guns and reporting from where the action is. His "Imperial Grunts" follows the wide-ranging activities of US elite troops--the "special forces," the "green berets" and in the last part, the Marine Corps in Iraq. If the US has taken on the role of a global police force--the way the British Empire once tried to do--here are the cops on the beat.

In addition to Iraq, he visits Yemen, Colombia, the Phillipines, Afghanistan, Somalia and Mongolia, as well as home bases in the USA. A common theme underlying all of Kaplan's book is his deep admiration for those "imperial grunts" and for the ones who lead them. American soldiers around the globe should appreciate what he has written, because it pays tribute to their determination, resourcefulness and courage, a tribute rarely heard for the simple reason that few members of the regular press go to where Kaplan has gone. These soldiers' job is dangerous, conditions are rough, pay is skimpy--and at the same time, the camaraderie is genuine, personal responsibilities are often enormous and the demands one one's "people-skills" can be staggering. This is most evident where American soldiers operate in small teams, training and inspiring local counterparts to give stability a chance, in societies on the edge of chaos.

Take the rain forests of Colombia, where rival militias subsist off the drug trade, while bullying and exploiting locals, often with help from across an unfriendly border. Colombian soldiers are brave and tough, and the fact that many US soldiers speak their language is a great asset--but Colombia's politicians and the majority of the population, comfortable in the highlands, do no sense the same urgency, so that the situation smolders on.

Yemen is a volatile tribal society, a medley of clans armed to the teeth, often supplementing their income from illegal levies at roadblocks. Whatever hold the central government has is maintained largely by judicious bribes and by playing clan leaders against each other. Later Kaplan discovers that much of Iraq is just as fragmented, and that Saddam's rule was maintained by similar means; the situation there has got worse since his visit. The clans, the weapons, the religious extremism--also, an expanding population subsisting on limited means--all these are enough to make the reader pause and wonder: are these the places for promoting democracy?

Indeed, I fear that with all the valor of US troops, chaos will ultimately prevail in most places he describes--followed by oppression, the only realistic alternative to chaos. The fighting men are first rate, dedicated and patriotic, but their orders often come from the rear echelon "REMFs," a different breed. Kaplan's book ends with a gripping first-hand account of the battle of Fallujah, in which the Marines prevailed, only to be ordered back at the moment of victory. Being disciplined, they pull out.

Maybe on the long run all that makes little difference. As one reads Kaplan's reports, one is struck by a feeling of futility--valor and resourcefulness are great assets, but in the face of world-wide disorder, of corruption, poverty, exploding populations and religious zealots, any hope for order may be doomed. Those societies were never stable to begin with, and now their edges are unraveling. Tomorrow the stakes will be higher, life more precarious and any hope for exporting our prosperous orderly democracy even more remote.

For the time, however, a few brave young men stand as a thin barrier between our world and the chaotic one. They do their utmost to give those embattled societies a chance, to maybe--just possibly--find a way to a better, more orderly life. More power to them, and great credit to Kaplan for trying to show the view from their side.
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Jan 29, 2012 Glenn Hyman rated it 3 of 5 stars

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...more

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Feb 24, 2013 Kelly Crigger rated it 5 of 5 stars

Imperial Grunts is fantastic. It's quite simply an accurate and articulate account of the warrior breed still roaming the earth told by one with a flair for the interesting and head for the captivating. Kaplan takes the time to get to know his audience, explaining in great detail the unfamiliar surroundings of the US military in austere environments while not patronizing the reader. He also delves into the personal lives of the men he drank and fought with over the course of many months and brin...more

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Aug 24, 2009 Andrew rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: foreign policy realists, imperialists, and of course... grunts

Shelves: middle-east, south-asia, military-history

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 occupying...more

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Feb 02, 2009 Cupcake rated it 4 of 5 stars

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. Kaplan...more

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Dec 03, 2008 Andrew rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: didn-t-finish

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 book behind...more

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Jul 29, 2011 Mike rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: military

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 isolationism, in which th...more 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 isolationism, in which the demand for absolute, undefiled security at home leads one to conquer the world, and in the process to become subject to all the world’s anxieties. That is why empires arise at the fringes of consciousness, half in denial…Rome never thought it was building an empire until it already had one, and had already reached the limits of its expansion…Empires are works in progress, with necessity rather than glory the instigator of each outward push… America’s imperium was without colonies, suited to a jet-and-information age in which mass movements of people and capital diluted the meaning of sovereignty.“

Kaplan places the beginning of the American Empire from just after the Revolutionary War, with the efforts to move the large, threatening powers of England, France and Spain from our rear. We just kept pushing outward until we reached the Pacific. WWII and the subsequent Cold War were the big modern era reasons to continue empire building bringing us to where we are today. The proof of our empire is the opposition to it, according to Kaplan.

Okay, that is the big theme but he spends the rest of the book visiting various theaters of low and high intensity conflict. And he introduces us to an amazing group of “grunts” out in the field. He begins in Yemen in 2002 and finishes in Fallujah, Iraq in 2004. In between he visits the drug war in Colombia, the steppes of Mongolia, The Philippine Islands, Afghanistan, and the Horn of Africa. Along the way he goes off on tangents to Sub-Saharan Africa, Bosnia, Cambodia, etc. Kaplan is unmatched as a travel writer and he has some big cojones as you follow him into some really hairy places. But he just dips in and out, while the “imperial grunts” remain and carry on with their various missions. The sheer variety of places and missions assigned to the military is truly astounding, even to someone like me who knows the way around. I found myself wanting back in and immensely proud of these young soldiers, marines, sailors and airmen.

The book moves along briskly, never boring or preachy and never spending too much time in any one place. Yemen and Colombia do not appear fun places to go but I really want to go back to the Philippines based on his description. Mongolia sounds intriguing, along with Eritrea and Djibouti. Afghanistan and Iraq, not so much. Ever been to Lamu? You will want to. What you will also want to do is spend some time with the young NCOs and junior officers out maintaining the “empire”. If your opinion of the army grunt is along the lines of a Stephen King, i.e., only the dumb ones join, you will be pleasantly surprised. The book is not dated at all, and it is interesting to compare what is happening now in Yemen, Afghanistan and other locales to what Kaplan describes in 2002-2004. Try it, you’ll like it.
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May 28, 2010 Mark Peterson rated it 4 of 5 stars

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 necessary and I don't agree that a...more

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Jul 28, 2011 Sjonni rated it 3 of 5 stars

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.

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Aug 31, 2007 Steve Grant rated it 3 of 5 stars

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 implications, clouded by Kapl...more

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Apr 01, 2009 Paul Robinson added it

Shelves: read-military

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.

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Feb 14, 2009 Dan Kearns rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: history, history-sub-military-history

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.

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Feb 19, 2008 James rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Anyone interested in geopolitics and/or the U.S. military

Shelves: character-studies, culture-and-politics, economics, history, military, regional

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 intended series repo...more

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May 10, 2009 Zach rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2009-books, gen-military, audio-books, audio-books-09

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 interactions with decent contra...more

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Dec 03, 2007 Jim Salisbury rated it 3 of 5 stars

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...more

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Feb 26, 2007 Shaun rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Those who embrace the "suck" and those who want to know what it is...

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 sister."

For real though, this is the first...more

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Mar 07, 2010 Cwhittall rated it 4 of 5 stars

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.

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Jul 27, 2011 Kash rated it 5 of 5 stars

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!

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Oct 12, 2012 Tom rated it 4 of 5 stars

Read Kaplan's sequel, too, both ground level, first person stories of Americans with boots in 170+ nations, special forces who called buddies to get Kaplan his next access.

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Sep 22, 2009 Tommy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: nonfiction, military

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.

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Dec 29, 2008 Andrew Lubin rated it 5 of 5 stars

Will review the book when I'm done, but the difference in mindset and training between deployed Marines and Army is staggering.

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Feb 21, 2008 Nick rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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 based on the...more

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Feb 04, 2013 Sean added it

Yes, American influence extends to some of the most remote sections of the world, bringing democracy, health care, relief efforts, and empowerment to the oppressed. Amazing!

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Jul 28, 2011 Dovofthegalilee added it · review of another edition

An excellent read defintely makes my short list for best authors I've ever read.

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Nov 03, 2009 Griff rated it 4 of 5 stars

First-rate reporting on America's military in various venues around the world

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Sep 30, 2008 Michael rated it 5 of 5 stars

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...more

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Nov 19, 2008 Allisonperkel rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction, travel

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 peek into the...more

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Jan 23, 2008 Don rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: current-events, history, adventure

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 geography geek has made one glaring error...more

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Feb 11, 2013 Joseph Exley rated it 4 of 5 stars

I thought it was a excellent book.

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Apr 04, 2007 tim rated it 4 of 5 stars

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 to d...more

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About Robert D. Kaplan

Robert David Kaplan is an American journalist, currently a National Correspondent for the Atlantic Monthly. His writings have also been featured in The Washington Post, The New York Times, The New Republic, The National Interest, Foreign Affairs and The Wall Street Journal, among other newspapers and publications, and his more controversial essays about the nature of U.S. power have spurred debate...more

More about Robert D. Kaplan...

Books by Robert D. Kaplan

Balkan Ghosts: A Journey Through History

The Ends of the Earth: A Journey to the Frontiers of Anarchy

Eastward to Tartary: Travels in the Balkans, the Middle East, and the Caucasus

Monsoon: The Indian Ocean and the Future of American Power

The Coming Anarchy: Shattering the Dreams of the Post Cold War

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