3.78/5
Author: Robert D. Kaplan
Publication Date: Sep 10, 2013
Formats: PDF,Paperback,Hardcover,Kindle,Audible Audiobook,MP3 CD
Rating: 3.78/5 out of 4105
Publisher: Random House Trade Paperbacks
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Aug 05, 2013
Sep 22, 2012
A disappointing read, almost painful at times, and a missed opportunity. There is useful content here but it is poorly organized. The book reads like a series of rambling lectures. The text is verbose and repetitive; brace yourself for frequent appearances of the phrases, ‘as noted’, ‘as we have seen’, and ‘as I have explained’. Was there no editor for ‘Revenge’? And forget about using this book as a reference text for there is no index.Feb 11, 2013
Kaplan argues that geography still matters for the way societies and nations organize themselves and project power in their neighborhoods and beyond. This is a necessary corrective to post-modern, 'the world is flat,' vision of globalization that seems to hold sway at the moment. As usual, Kaplan delivers an insightful, thought-provoking work marked by a deep knowledge of the peoples and states he talks about.Sep 08, 2012
"Revelatory prism?" No. Frankly, I read a lot of geopolitics and there aren't any new revelations here. I was fairly disappointed in this book, written by someone with tremendous expertise in the field. Although it contains some interesting and even exciting ideas, the text is not well-conceptualized and I am left with the belief that an awful lot was left on the table. The first concern is that it is not clear what audience Kaplan is writing for. On the one hand, the style assumes a significant "Revelatory prism?" No. Frankly, I read a lot of geopolitics and there aren't any new revelations here. I was fairly disappointed in this book, written by someone with tremendous expertise in the field. Although it contains some interesting and even exciting ideas, the text is not well-conceptualized and I am left with the belief that an awful lot was left on the table. The first concern is that it is not clear what audience Kaplan is writing for. On the one hand, the style assumes a significant amount of familiarity with geography and geopolitics. He throws around ideas and people without adequate introduction or explanation for a reader new to the field. This is a particular problem in the first few quagmiresque chapters in which he outlines some of the field's major thinkers and their place in history. Someone with expertise might find this an interesting analysis and be able to parse some finer points in his argument, but the section is a barrier to anyone without a base familiarity. I myself only held on because of the prospect of something better. After a brief period in the middle which seems promising but lacking in the presentation of evidence, the book becomes a fairly superficial exercise - so much so that anyone with knowledge in the field would likely find it a pointless restatement of fairly common information. Thus, some portions assume too much knowledge for most readers, and the remainder would be a waste for those with the knowledge to tackle the beginning.Jun 29, 2013
I read all kinds of books and seldom really dislike one. But Kaplan's simplistic geographic determinism, vast generalizations, and location-dropping in this one really drove me crazy. India's monsoonal cycle makes people meditative and religious? Seriously!?Apr 12, 2015
I was resolved to read this book to get a better understanding of some of the long term structural issues underlying international politics and it took all my resolve to persist through the meandering first chapters.Sep 15, 2012
Jun 02, 2017
Whilst I am just at the beginning of my forray in and journey through the field of geopolitics, I get the distinct feeling that this book is not what it was supposed to be. The title has no tangible connection to the actual work (unless I am mistaken on the meaning of the word 'revenge'), there are some gross generalizations made in order to get points through and sometimes, what I consider to be blatant mistakes. What do you mean, the Chinese had 'no interest in exploring until the XIII Whilst I am just at the beginning of my forray in and journey through the field of geopolitics, I get the distinct feeling that this book is not what it was supposed to be. The title has no tangible connection to the actual work (unless I am mistaken on the meaning of the word 'revenge'), there are some gross generalizations made in order to get points through and sometimes, what I consider to be blatant mistakes. What do you mean, the Chinese had 'no interest in exploring until the XIII Century'? As far as I know, exploring is not only defined so if you manage to make it to another continent and 'discover' it. Anyways. Kaplan constantly assumes the reader is a well of knowledge with regards to the subject. In my opinion, no matter the calibre of the author and the subject in mind - no writer in the history of ever should write as if only intended for the experts or medium-to-high knowledgeable in the field. You want to educate people? Don't belittle them by constantly saying stuff like: 'as the reader knows", "as it is obvious", etc. You know what? Maybe it's not so obvious, and even though I am the type of reader predisposed to stop reading and open Wikipedia up to fact-check, many are not, and amongst them valuable minds are lost in the process.Sep 27, 2012
A Fresh and Thought-provoking View of Global PoliticsFeb 01, 2013
Stupid name for a trite book redeemed by a few good lines and an occasional useful insight. As for the title, the "influence" or the "significance" of geography would have made sense, but "revenge"?Sep 14, 2012
Well, I won’t lie. That was more than a bit like eating my peas (with apologies to peas; I really like them). I knew it was good for me, but it wasn’t necessarily enjoyable.Sep 27, 2012
Kaplan here displays his usual depth and erudition, giving us a new view of geopolitics with the focus on geography, which he regards as far more important than we usually consider it. He starts in Section I with a summary of the thoughts of great minds on the topic, from Herodotus to Kissinger and beyond. In Section II he focuses on a number of significant states, civilizations, and empires past and present, including China, India, Russia, Iran, Iraq, Turkey, and Afghanistan. He refers to Kaplan here displays his usual depth and erudition, giving us a new view of geopolitics with the focus on geography, which he regards as far more important than we usually consider it. He starts in Section I with a summary of the thoughts of great minds on the topic, from Herodotus to Kissinger and beyond. In Section II he focuses on a number of significant states, civilizations, and empires past and present, including China, India, Russia, Iran, Iraq, Turkey, and Afghanistan. He refers to Eurasia as the "world island" and points out how each country's nearness and accessibility to its neighbors contributes to or detracts from its power and influence. Geology, he says, can be surmounted by the actions of strong leaders, but because geology doesn't change, it remains highly relevant even in today's world of instant communication and reach of fast travel.Aug 29, 2017
Reading this book was more like reading a poetic take on how geography affects geopolitics than a coherent and robust theory on why geopolitics are as they are. If you find the work of Jared Diamond compelling, then you will probably enjoy this too; but if you are like me, you will find the cherry picking and lack of counterfactuals quite jarring. To his credit, Kaplan isn't as bold as Diamond, in that he more strongly acknowledges the role of many factors, of which geography is just one. But at Reading this book was more like reading a poetic take on how geography affects geopolitics than a coherent and robust theory on why geopolitics are as they are. If you find the work of Jared Diamond compelling, then you will probably enjoy this too; but if you are like me, you will find the cherry picking and lack of counterfactuals quite jarring. To his credit, Kaplan isn't as bold as Diamond, in that he more strongly acknowledges the role of many factors, of which geography is just one. But at the same time that he says geography is not determinative, he kind of still argues that, and that's where the poetry comes in. It's so beautiful and simple to think that Europe, for example, is divided into such small countries way that it is because of its terrain, and then to contrast it with its flatter, more expansive neighbour Russia. But it is nearly impossible to tease out the role of the terrain from other social and biophysical factors, especially when you are just picking illustrative cases to prove your thesis. So while I found this a compelling read that made me think about the world in a different way, I have to admit that I didn't really buy into many of its arguments. ...moreMay 19, 2018
I enjoyed The Revenge of Geography by Robert D. Kaplan, even as I am mindful of some of the more critical of its reviews. Mr. Kaplan lays out a series of intelligent discussions built around the interrelationship between geography and history. It is part of my job to look at events and ask why here (not there) and will it be here again? As such geological determinism is an implied concept in my profession. Beyond my professional predilection to accept some degree of determinism, Kaplan uses I enjoyed The Revenge of Geography by Robert D. Kaplan, even as I am mindful of some of the more critical of its reviews. Mr. Kaplan lays out a series of intelligent discussions built around the interrelationship between geography and history. It is part of my job to look at events and ask why here (not there) and will it be here again? As such geological determinism is an implied concept in my profession. Beyond my professional predilection to accept some degree of determinism, Kaplan uses geography as persisting frame of reference in making his geographically based analysis of world history, politics and possible futures. He also admits to the need to be flexible in the application of determinism in the face of conflicting histories and alternate futures. His politics are apparent, but there is no need to agree with either his politics or his conclusions. The reader is free to ignore his specifics, but is making a mistake by preemptively shrugging them aside.June 7, 2015
Kaplan is always brilliant and informative. This deep analysis of how geography impacts national destiny will have you rethinking many of the doom and gloom predictions for America's future. Keep up the great work Mr Kaplan!Nov 18, 2012
The Revenge of Geography takes geopolitics to an entirely new level. Robert Kaplan splits the book into essentially three parts. The first part looks at geopolitics in general and specifically looks at the theories of well respected intellectuals of the past. The second part of the book looks at the various areas of the world (Russia, China, India, Iran, etc.) where there is potential for conflict with neighboring countries or political unrest within. The last third of the book deals primarily The Revenge of Geography takes geopolitics to an entirely new level. Robert Kaplan splits the book into essentially three parts. The first part looks at geopolitics in general and specifically looks at the theories of well respected intellectuals of the past. The second part of the book looks at the various areas of the world (Russia, China, India, Iran, etc.) where there is potential for conflict with neighboring countries or political unrest within. The last third of the book deals primarily with the United States and what our future might hold if we continue with current involvement abroad and what that might mean at home. I have always enjoyed the writings of Robert Kaplan and this book did not disappoint. If you are looking for an easy read, this book is not for you. This book actually created more questions for me than answers and I had to stop reading several times to research events and people Kaplan referenced. The Kaplan quote I thought summed up this book the best was, "...we must never give in to geography, but must be fundamentally aware of it in our quest for a better world." ...moreFeb 22, 2013
What a thorough disappointment! An important topic that needs to be discussed, particularly after two decades (or more, according to Kaplan) of liberal institutionalism/responsibility to protect adventurism (or the often ignored call for it, followed by neoconservative adventurism (unfortunately less ignored). Bringing back into discussion the realist worldview is necessary, and the importance of geography as a major factor in determining why the world works (or doesn't work) as it does (or What a thorough disappointment! An important topic that needs to be discussed, particularly after two decades (or more, according to Kaplan) of liberal institutionalism/responsibility to protect adventurism (or the often ignored call for it, followed by neoconservative adventurism (unfortunately less ignored). Bringing back into discussion the realist worldview is necessary, and the importance of geography as a major factor in determining why the world works (or doesn't work) as it does (or doesn't) needs a re-airing, particularly because the rise of technology has convinced so many - maybe TOO many - that it is easy to get over mountains and oceans. Mackinder and his heartland theory, and Spykman and his rimland (makes me giggle) theory need to be reconsidered.Jan 13, 2013
Finishing this book was bitter-sweet for me. I awaited the books arrival for so long and immediately dived head first. Upon finishing this book I feel both relieved and disappointed that it is not a hundred pages longer. As a geography student, I come to this book with significant knowledge on the subject matter already. However, I feel that to fully appreciate this book for all its merit, I would need a degree in Geography, Religion, Political Science, and History. Personally, I feel as though Finishing this book was bitter-sweet for me. I awaited the books arrival for so long and immediately dived head first. Upon finishing this book I feel both relieved and disappointed that it is not a hundred pages longer. As a geography student, I come to this book with significant knowledge on the subject matter already. However, I feel that to fully appreciate this book for all its merit, I would need a degree in Geography, Religion, Political Science, and History. Personally, I feel as though I just finished sitting through an extremely long lectureDec 31, 2012
I've been holding off on writing a review of this book for a bit now because I'm not sure that I can express my frustration properly.Mar 03, 2017
In the current climate of politics around the world, this book is a must read piece. The book provides a wide ranging and entertaining coverage of world affairs; and it links geographical and historical facts and events with contemporary politics and power struggles. I did not agree with all the judgments and analyses, but appreciated Kaplan's way of thinking, his deep insights, and his use of personal experiences and in depth knowledge of different countries in the book.Sep 25, 2017
The deterministic qualities of physical geography are often debated. Some argue that geography is irrelevant in the face of ideas and the inherent qualities of man. Others would argue that geography is what ultimately shapes human interaction. Robert Kaplan, perhaps America's most well-traveled correspondent and commentator, takes a more central position. He argues that geography can be minimized, and indeed it repeatedly has, but ultimately it cannot be defeated. The qualities of the The deterministic qualities of physical geography are often debated. Some argue that geography is irrelevant in the face of ideas and the inherent qualities of man. Others would argue that geography is what ultimately shapes human interaction. Robert Kaplan, perhaps America's most well-traveled correspondent and commentator, takes a more central position. He argues that geography can be minimized, and indeed it repeatedly has, but ultimately it cannot be defeated. The qualities of the mankind-geography relationship: location of resources, natural barriers, ease of human migration and invasion, and so forth are qualities that existed before history and will continue to exist and matter far into our technology and globalization-driven world. I don't believe it would be a stretch to say that Kaplan's view of geography is really that of history in that the story of man's attempts to compete, govern, and even survive are fundamentally shaped by where that man chooses (or doesn't) to stake his claim. In that The Revenge of Geography is a very useful book. After detailing the general outline of geographical studies, Kaplan launches into examinations of the world's most important geographical crisis points in the modern era. These regions, however, are not facing anything that hasn't been faced in the past, as Kaplan's general theory would stipulate. Instead, they are facing the same issues their ancestors faced, but are grappling with them using new techniques, new technologies, and new ideas. In Europe, Russia, China, India, Iran, and the former Ottoman Empire, new governments are grappling with geography and its effects on people in ways that will underpin state competition for the 21st century and beyond. And in America the demographic changes underway on our southern border and our relationship with the Spanish-speaking countries to our south will shape our future and our ability to remain relevant on the world stage. For as Kaplan points out, the world might be shifting from the border-driven reality of a post-Westphalian world back to the pre-modern reality of frontiers, where divisions overlap, are more murky, and are rife with tension. As his seminal essay 'The Coming Anarchy' predicted 23 years ago, the future of geopolitics and conflict may be something unfamiliar to states and leaders used to cut-and-dry divisions and locations on a map, but to the long cycle of history, and geography, the future will be hold nothing new under the sun. ...moreMar 11, 2017
The title is enticing and makes it sound like this book is going to be as interesting as it could be had it been better written and less political (I read it for current events and because I find the geographical importance interesting, but this book was very political). Also, I listened to some of this on audiobook, and the reader's voice combined with his style of reading and cadence I found irritating.May 11, 2013
Robert Kaplan contends in this book that geography matters a great deal in the unfolding of the human endeavor. Early on, he observes (Page xix): "I will introduce readers to a group of decidedly unfashionable thinkers, who push up hard against the notion that geography no longer matters." Ho notes that he does not contend that geography is destiny and is the only important factor in the world of human concerns. Nonetheless, once one finishes this book, he or she will realize that Kaplan thinks Robert Kaplan contends in this book that geography matters a great deal in the unfolding of the human endeavor. Early on, he observes (Page xix): "I will introduce readers to a group of decidedly unfashionable thinkers, who push up hard against the notion that geography no longer matters." Ho notes that he does not contend that geography is destiny and is the only important factor in the world of human concerns. Nonetheless, once one finishes this book, he or she will realize that Kaplan thinks that geography is of critical importance. In this, he is perhaps a bit too emphatic. His statement on page 30 says a great deal: "Indeed, geography is the preface to the very track of human events."Jan 15, 2018
To me, Kaplans work can be sumarized by the two unspecified goals of this book: to reapraise the discipline of geopolitics by outlining some of the theories and conclusions of some classical authors, mainly geographers and international theorists of the realist school of thought, as well as some naval experts. With the framework of geographical influence (yet not determinism) at hand, the other goal is to review and update the current state of international affairs, system by system, region by To me, Kaplans work can be sumarized by the two unspecified goals of this book: to reapraise the discipline of geopolitics by outlining some of the theories and conclusions of some classical authors, mainly geographers and international theorists of the realist school of thought, as well as some naval experts. With the framework of geographical influence (yet not determinism) at hand, the other goal is to review and update the current state of international affairs, system by system, region by region.Jun 25, 2016
This was an interesting read for me being a subject I know next to nothing about—how the geography of a place or different places for that matter have affected and have a tendency to affect the course they have taken and that they will take. Kaplan discusses some of the theories on this proposed by different people such as Sir Halford Mackinder, Alfred Mahan, and Nicholas J Spykman, among others and how some of their predictions may have and are likely to come true. He not only talks of others’ This was an interesting read for me being a subject I know next to nothing about—how the geography of a place or different places for that matter have affected and have a tendency to affect the course they have taken and that they will take. Kaplan discusses some of the theories on this proposed by different people such as Sir Halford Mackinder, Alfred Mahan, and Nicholas J Spykman, among others and how some of their predictions may have and are likely to come true. He not only talks of others’ theories but analyses them and traces the development of various regions over the ages and how they were influenced by their geographies and makes his own predictions as to the course they are likely to take. In discussing others’ theories he does refer to PC and non-PC viewpoints, though only acknowledging that some are non-PC. But overall, his views and analysis do tend to bend towards developments that would be conducive from the American point of view. ...moreTake your time and choose the perfect book.
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