ROBERT D. KAPLAN is the author of 16 books on foreign affairs and travel translated into many languages, including The Revenge of Geography- What the Map Tells Us about Coming Conflicts and the Battle Against Fate, Monsoon- The Indian Ocean and the Future of American Power; Balkan Ghosts- A Journey Through History; and Warrior Politics- Why Leadership Demands a Pagan Ethos. He has been a foreign correspondent for The Atlantic for over three decades. In 2011, Foreign Policy magazine named Kaplan among the world's o100 Top Global Thinkers.o In 2014, he joined the Center for New American Security as a senior fellow. He previously served as chief geopolitical analyst at Stratfor. From 2009 to 2011, he served under Secretary of Defense Robert Gates as a member of the Defense Policy Board. From 2006 to 2008, he was the Class of 1960 Distinguished Visiting Professor in National Security at the U. S. Naval Academy, Annapolis.
"[A] haunting yet ultimately optimistic examination of the human
condition as found in Romania . . . The author delves into the
ancient roots of Romania's culture and religion. . . . [Robert D.]
Kaplan's account of the centuries leading up to the most turbulent
of all--the twentieth--is both sweeping and replete with alluring
detail. . . . The rich characters who wander through these pages .
. . dispense wisdom from book-lined homes, cafes, or chapels old
and new. . . . Kaplan's Romania offers lessons on the value of
malleability, and what -endures."--Alison Smale, The New York Times
Book Review
"This book reveals the confident, poetical Kaplan . . . but also a
reflective, political Kaplan, seeking at times to submerge his gift
for romantic generalization in respectful attention to the ideas of
others. That tension--between an aesthetic sense of wholeness and
the intellectual acceptance of complexity--is the real subject of
the book, both as autobiography and as geopolitics."--Timothy
Snyder, The Washington Post "A serious yet impassioned survey of
Romania . . . [Kaplan's] method is that of a foreign correspondent,
firing off dispatches from the South China Sea to North Yemen to
the darkest corners of Eastern Europe when it was still Iron
Curtain country, and his approach has a Thucydidean texture: a
gimlet-eyed realism as gathered by evidence, and guided by an
understanding that the knee-jerk of history is self-interest. . . .
Kaplan is a regional geographer par excellence--undeniably,
whatever you think of his conclusions--a big-picture man."--The
Christian Science Monitor "Kaplan is one of America's foremost
writers on the region. . . . In a series of deep dives into the
region's past--Byzantine, Ottoman, Habsburg and Soviet--he finds
parallels and echoes that help us understand the present."--The
Wall Street Journal
"Kaplan moves seamlessly from sights, sounds, and conversations to
the resonance of history. . . . In Kaplan's hands, Romania emerges
as no mere footnote, but as a historical and political
pivot."--Foreign Affairs "Kaplan's work exemplifies rare
intellectual, moral and political engagement with the political
order--and disorder--of our world. . . . Kaplan's writing is like
the places he visits. It's a terrain, a concentrated expression of
a particular part of the world as he sees it. . . . In Europe's
Shadow amounts to a kind of historical anthropology plus
geopolitics, a deep study of a particular country and people. . . .
It shows how, at one and the same time, Romania is distinctive and
a key to a broader and deeper understanding of contemporary
Europe."--The Huffington Post "Kaplan's is travel writing at its
contemporary finest, weaving in the sights and sounds of a faraway
land alongside interviews with its philosophers and politicians. .
. . [In Europe's Shadow] provides an incisive, tactile introduction
to the politics and potential prospects of Central and Southeastern
Europe--a region that finds itself once again caught in the
headwinds of history."--RealClearWorld "A masterly work of
important history, analysis, and prophecy about the ancient and
modern rise of Romania as a roundabout between Russia and Europe .
. . I learned something new on every page. Robert D. Kaplan is a
master."--Tom Brokaw "A tour de force of cultural and political
travel writing in which Romania's complex past and uncertain
present become vivid and newly urgent."--Colin Thubron, author of
Shadow of the Silk Road and co-editor of Patrick Leigh Fermor's The
Broken Road "Robert D. Kaplan has the remarkable ability to see
over the geopolitical horizon, and he now turns his attention to
Europe's marchlands--the former 'Greater Romania' lying between the
Balkans and a resurgent Russia. In a triple journey through books,
landscapes, and histories, he tackles the meaning of geography, the
influence of intellectuals, and the daffiness--and power--of
nationalism. . . . Timely, insightful, and deeply honest."--Charles
King, professor of international affairs, Georgetown University,
and author of Midnight at the Pera Palace: The Birth of Modern
Istanbul "For an appreciation of contemporary Romanian attitudes,
Robert Kaplan's book has no equal. As an outsider, yet within, the
author offers an analysis of Romania that combines erudition and
authority. His sparkling, suggestive reflections, drawing upon
history and landscape, capture the DNA of the country and its
inhabitants."--Dennis Deletant, Ion Rațiu Visiting Professor of
Romanian Studies, Georgetown University, and emeritus professor,
University College London
"A moving book--an illuminating and compassionate guide through the
labyrinth of Romania's immensely convoluted and often traumatic
past . . . In spite of the many dark, distressing moments that no
one should ignore, In Europe's Shadow conveys a sense of hope,
promise, and continuous renewal."--Vladimir Tismăneanu, professor
of politics, University of Maryland, and author of The Devil in
History: Communism, Fascism, and Some Lessons of the Twentieth
Century
"Kaplan illuminates the extraordinary journey of the people of
Romania, as well as millions of other East Europeans, from the
tragic Soviet despotism of the decades after the Second World War
to their more hopeful and democratic future as members of NATO and
the European Union. Kaplan's ability to weave together complex
histories, religion, memory, and political thought is nearly
unmatched."--Nicholas Burns, professor, Harvard Kennedy School, and
former undersecretary of state for political affairs "A favorite of
mine for years, Robert D. Kaplan is a thoughtful and insight-driven
historian who writes clear and compelling prose, but what I like
most about him is his political sophistication. In Europe's Shadow
makes you look up and think about what's on the page--a true
pleasure for the reader."--Alan Furst
[A] haunting yet ultimately optimistic examination of the human
condition as found in Romania . . . The author delves into the
ancient roots of Romania s culture and religion. . . . [Robert D.]
Kaplan s account of the centuries leading up to the most turbulent
of all the twentieth is both sweeping and replete with alluring
detail. . . . The rich characters who wander through these pages .
. . dispense wisdom from book-lined homes, cafes, or chapels old
and new. . . . Kaplan s Romania offers lessons on the value of
malleability, and what endures. Alison Smale, "The New York Times
Book Review
"
This book reveals the confident, poetical Kaplan . . . but also a
reflective, political Kaplan, seeking at times to submerge his gift
for romantic generalization in respectful attention to the ideas of
others. That tension between an aesthetic sense of wholeness and
the intellectual acceptance of complexity is the real subject of
the book, both as autobiography and as geopolitics. Timothy Snyder,
"The Washington Post"
A serious yet impassioned survey of Romania . . . [Kaplan s] method
is that of a foreign correspondent, firing off dispatches from the
South China Sea to North Yemen to the darkest corners of Eastern
Europe when it was still Iron Curtain country, and his approach has
a Thucydidean texture: a gimlet-eyed realism as gathered by
evidence, and guided by an understanding that the knee-jerk of
history is self-interest. . . . Kaplan is a regional geographer par
excellence undeniably, whatever you think of his conclusions a
big-picture man. "The Christian Science Monitor"
Kaplan is one of America s foremost writers on the region. . . . In
a series of deep dives into the region s past Byzantine, Ottoman,
Habsburg and Soviet he finds parallels and echoes that help us
understand the present. "The Wall Street Journal"
""
Kaplan moves seamlessly from sights, sounds, and conversations to
the resonance of history. . . . In Kaplan s hands, Romania emerges
as no mere footnote, but as a historical and political pivot.
"Foreign Affairs"
Kaplan s work exemplifies rare intellectual, moral and political
engagement with the political order and disorder of our world. . .
. Kaplan s writing is like the places he visits. It s a terrain, a
concentrated expression of a particular part of the world as he
sees it. . . . "In Europe s Shadow" amounts to a kind of historical
anthropology plus geopolitics, a deep study of a particular country
and people. . . . It shows how, at one and the same time, Romania
is distinctive and a key to a broader and deeper understanding of
contemporary Europe. "The Huffington Post"
Kaplan s is travel writing at its contemporary finest, weaving in
the sights and sounds of a faraway land alongside interviews with
its philosophers and politicians. . . . ["In Europe s Shadow"]
provides an incisive, tactile introduction to the politics and
potential prospects of Central and Southeastern Europe a region
that finds itself once again caught in the headwinds of history.
"RealClearWorld"
A masterly work of important history, analysis, and prophecy about
the ancient and modern rise of Romania as a roundabout between
Russia and Europe . . . I learned something new on every page.
Robert D. Kaplan is a master. Tom Brokaw
A tour de force of cultural and political travel writing in which
Romania s complex past and uncertain present become vivid and newly
urgent. Colin Thubron, author of "Shadow of the Silk Road "and
co-editor of Patrick Leigh Fermor s" The Broken Road"
Robert D. Kaplan has the remarkable ability to see over the
geopolitical horizon, and he now turns his attention to Europe s
marchlands the former Greater Romania lying between the Balkans and
a resurgent Russia. In a triple journey through books, landscapes,
and histories, he tackles the meaning of geography, the influence
of intellectuals, and the daffiness and power of nationalism.. . .
Timely, insightful, and deeply honest. Charles King, professor of
international affairs, Georgetown University, and author of
"Midnight at the Pera Palace: The Birth of Modern Istanbul"
For an appreciation of contemporary Romanian attitudes, Robert
Kaplan s book has no equal. As an outsider, yet within, the author
offers an analysis of Romania that combines erudition and
authority. His sparkling, suggestive reflections, drawing upon
history and landscape, capture the DNA of the country and its
inhabitants. Dennis Deletant, Ion Ra iu Visiting Professor of
Romanian Studies, Georgetown University, and emeritus professor,
University College London
""
A moving book an illuminating and compassionate guide through the
labyrinth of Romania s immensely convoluted and often traumatic
past . . . In spite of the many dark, distressing moments that no
one should ignore, "In Europe s Shadow" conveys a sense of hope,
promise, and continuous renewal. " "Vladimir Tism neanu, professor
of politics, University of Maryland, and" "author of" The Devil in
History: Communism, Fascism, and Some Lessons of the Twentieth
Century"
""
Kaplan illuminates the extraordinary journey of the people of
Romania, as well as millions of other East Europeans, from the
tragic Soviet despotism of the decades after the Second World War
to their more hopeful and democratic future as members of NATO and
the European Union. Kaplan s ability to weave together complex
histories, religion, memory, and political thought is nearly
unmatched. Nicholas Burns, professor, Harvard Kennedy School, and
former undersecretary of state for political affairs
A favorite of mine for years, Robert D. Kaplan is a thoughtful and
insight-driven historian who writes clear and compelling prose, but
what I like most about him is his political sophistication. "In
Europe s Shadow"makes you look up and think about what s on the
page a true pleasure for the reader. Alan Furst"
Advance praise for "In Europe s Shadow"
A masterly work of important history, analysis, and prophecy about
the ancient and modern rise of Romania as a roundabout between
Russia and Europe . . . I learned something new on every page.
Robert D. Kaplan is a master. Tom Brokaw
A tour de force of cultural and political travel writing in which
Romania s complex past and uncertain present become vivid and newly
urgent. Colin Thubron, author of "Shadow of the Silk Road "and
co-editor of Patrick Leigh Fermor s" The Broken Road"
Robert D. Kaplan has the remarkable ability to see over the
geopolitical horizon, and he now turns his attention to Europe s
marchlands the former Greater Romania lying between the Balkans and
a resurgent Russia. In a triple journey through books, landscapes,
and histories, he tackles the meaning of geography, the influence
of intellectuals, and the daffiness and power of nationalism.. . .
Timely, insightful, and deeply honest. Charles King, professor of
international affairs, Georgetown University, and author of
"Midnight at the Pera Palace: The Birth of Modern Istanbul"
For an appreciation of contemporary Romanian attitudes, Robert
Kaplan s book has no equal. As an outsider, yet within, the author
offers an analysis of Romania that combines erudition and
authority. His sparkling, suggestive reflections, drawing upon
history and landscape, capture the DNA of the country and its
inhabitants. Dennis Deletant, Ion Ra iu Visiting Professor of
Romanian Studies, Georgetown University, and emeritus professor,
University College London
""
A moving book an illuminating and compassionate guide through the
labyrinth of Romania s immensely convoluted and often traumatic
past . . . In spite of the many dark, distressing moments that no
one should ignore, "In Europe s Shadow" conveys a sense of hope,
promise, and continuous renewal. " "Vladimir Tism neanu, professor
of politics, University of Maryland, and" "author of" The Devil in
History: Communism, Fascism, and Some Lessons of the Twentieth
Century"
""
Kaplan illuminates the extraordinary journey of the people of
Romania, as well as millions of other East Europeans, from the
tragic Soviet despotism of the decades after the Second World War
to their more hopeful and democratic future as members of NATO and
the European Union. Kaplan s ability to weave together complex
histories, religion, memory, and political thought is nearly
unmatched. Nicholas Burns, professor, Harvard Kennedy School, and
former undersecretary of state for political affairs
A favorite of mine for years, Robert D. Kaplan is a thoughtful and
insight-driven historian who writes clear and compelling prose, but
what I like most about him is his political sophistication. "In
Europe s Shadow"makes you look up and think about what s on the
page a true pleasure for the reader. Alan Furst"
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