The Loom of Time by Robert D Kaplan

The Loom of Time by Robert D Kaplan

A stunning exploration of the Greater Middle East, where lasting stability has often seemed just out of reach but may hold the key to the shifting world order of the twenty-first century

Engaging . . . Even those who resist Kaplan's tragic sensibility have much to learn from his look at the emerging Middle East and its recent history.--National Review

FINALIST FOR THE OVERSEAS PRESS CLUB'S CORNELIUS RYAN AWARD

The Greater Middle East, which Robert D. Kaplan defines as the vast region between the Mediterranean and China, encompassing much of the Arab world, parts of northern Africa, and Asia, existed for millennia as the crossroads of empire: Macedonian, Roman, Persian, Mongol, Ottoman, British, Soviet, American. But with the dissolution of empires in the twentieth century, postcolonial states have endeavored to maintain stability in the face of power struggles between factions, leadership vacuums, and the arbitrary borders drawn by exiting imperial rulers with little regard for geography or political groups on the ground. In the Loom of Time, Kaplan explores this broad, fraught space through reporting and travel writing to reveal deeper truths about the impacts of history on the present and how the requirements of stability over anarchy are often in conflict with the ideals of democratic governance.

In The Loom of Time, Kaplan makes the case for realism as an approach to the Greater Middle East. Just as Western attempts at democracy promotion across the Middle East have failed, a new form of economic imperialism is emerging today as China's ambitions fall squarely within the region as the key link between Europe and East Asia. As in the past, the Greater Middle East will be a register of future great power struggles across the globe. And like in the past, thousands of years of imperial rule will continue to cast a long shadow on politics as it is practiced today.

To piece together the history of this remarkable place and what it suggests for the future, Kaplan weaves together classic texts, immersive travel writing, and a great variety of voices from every country that all compel the reader to look closely at the realities on the ground and to prioritize these facts over ideals on paper. The Loom of Time is a challenging, clear-eyed book that promises to reframe our vision of the global twenty-first century.

Earning the Mountains, In Europe's Shadow, Asia's Cauldron, The Revenge of Geography, Monsoon, The Coming Anarchy, and Balkan Ghosts are among Kaplan's bestselling works on global politics and travel, which have been translated into numerous languages. He works as a senior advisor at Eurasia Group and a senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security. His writing was published in The Atlantic for three decades. He was a member of the Pentagon's Defense Policy Board and held the national security chair at the United States Naval Academy. He has been designated one of the world's Top 100 Global Thinkers by Foreign Policy magazine on two occasions.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780593242797
ISBN 10	0593242793
Title	The Loom of Time
Author	Robert D Kaplan
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Hardback
Publisher	Random House USA Inc
Year published	2023-08-22
Number of pages	400
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.