Travel to Middle East

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

Format: Paperback
Author: Robert D. Kaplan
ReleaseDate: October, 2001
Publisher: Vintage
Rating:

Romania in the late 90's
Kaplan comes back to Romania (he was here in the early 90's for his other book, "Balkan Ghosts") to talk to other people, to write down the changes and to offer us more on his knowledge on Balkan history and eastwards. For this book, Robert D. Just in a perfect combinaion. Again, I only read the chapter on Romania and Kaplan is a genius. I can't wait to keep on going with this book. .

A Good Introduction to Kaplan
His knowledge of history is good, and his descriptive powers formidable. Robert Kaplan is definitely worth reading. This book is probably the best introduction to his work, which is always interesting and informative even when, or pehaps even particularly when, one disagrees with some of his conclusions.

Descriptions, no prescriptions
Robert Kaplan brings a caravan. Every author brings some baggage with him when he writes a book. Variously known as "Mr. Anarchy" and "Mr. Chaos," Kaplan is a prolific writer of books on foreign relations and has written many articles for The Atlantic Monthly. He is best-known in foreign policy circles for his 1994 essay and subsequent book entitled "The Coming Anarchy. " In them, Kaplan asserts that the world is on the verge of a crackup of Malthusian proportions. A recurring shortcoming of his writings, however, seems to be a lack of solutions for the problems he meticulously details. He has the ability to describe the human condition but has a singular inability to suggest fixes.

What is Kaplan's purpose, then, in writing "Eastward to Tartary?" His mission seems to be to warn policy makers, and anyone who will listen, about the perils brewing in far off lands that may one day affect U. S. interests. He is more subtle and less bombastic in this book than in "The Coming Anarchy," but one can still clearly detect his world view that, "the end of the Cold War (has brought) on a cruel process of natural selection among existing states. " His writings excel at describing a Hobbesian world where realist power politics must rule, but beyond that, he lacks any concrete prescriptions for what ails humanity. Suggestions for action are few. He is like a doctor who describes a disease, but has no treatment plan, other than to tell you what not to do. In Kaplan's case, he frequently suggests not introducing Western-style democracy too quickly. Kaplan makes this point by warning us that, "Democracy may not necessarily remain enlightened, or civil, in the decades to come. "

"Eastward to Tartary," is a travelogue about the Near East, where Kaplan chronicles the woes of local nations and populations but once again comes up with few solutions for their suffering. That essential part of the political equation is apparently left for someone else to solve. Taking his readers on an arduous 330 page journey through some of the most fragile and chaotic states on the planet, Kaplan obligingly relates all the social, economic, ethnic, religious and geographical ills befalling each country he visits, but offers scant solutions to the problems. A typical Kaplanian non-solution is to point out that many countries are simply not ready for democratic ideals and are incapable of supporting the institutions required for Western-style democracy. So, Kaplan's primary contribution is that democracy is not likely to be the sole solution for what ails the Near East, particularly in the trans-Caucasus area.

Despite its lack of therapeutic action and its abundance of description rather than prescription, the book is an excellent overview of the vast and complex problems facing the U. S if America indeed wants to continue playing the role of global hegemon. In the trans-Caucasian region alone, we see through Kaplan's eyes that the task of U. S. management of global interests can be overwhelming. Kaplan's "You are there" descriptions of feral cities and states does a great service to readers - the book should be read by anyone who thinks that continued U. S. global dominance will be a cake-walk. If undertaken, the U. S. role of global Leviathan truly will not be easy, as we are seeing today in Iraq, Afghanistan, Israel, Lebanon and possibly one day in the Caspian Basin.

We all strive to do what we are best at. Kaplan seems to be best at and most comfortable with identifying trouble spots and trends that may affect U. S. vital interests. He does not spend much time or energy looking for answers to the problems - he implicitly leaves that to other experts. He does a great service for Americans interested in making sense of a chaotic world. He does this by visiting and reporting from some of the most dangerous places on the planet. For this he is to be commended. Through his eyes we can see that simple platitudes are not enough to maintain U. S. hegemony in the world. It will continue to take much blood and treasure. Kaplan is preparing us for our possible future. Are we ready?.

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