This is a very interesting account of travel in a variety of countries that are off the beaten path of most people.

It provides good insights into those societies, revealing the unique cultures, traditions, and ways of life that exist in these less explored regions.

The author's descriptions are vivid and engaging, making it easy for the reader to imagine themselves in these far-off places.

Whether it's the bustling markets of a small town in Southeast Asia or the peaceful villages of South America, each destination is brought to life in a way that is both informative and entertaining.

I will definitely read this account again, as it offers a refreshing perspective on travel and a deeper understanding of the world around us.

Overall, it's a great read for anyone who is interested in exploring new cultures and experiencing the world from a different perspective.

For this book, Kaplan traveled extensively off the beaten track during the first half of the 1990s. Fukuyama had just declared that we had reached the end of history, and Kaplan was seeking cultural explanations for the nature of 'failed states'. However, in the end, he didn't really find a conclusive answer.

Given the book's age, it shows its weakness when Kaplan attempts to predict the future by flaunting his knowledge, reading, and connections.

It shines brightest as a more straightforward travelogue, with the author vividly describing his experiences and creating a time capsule of a bygone era.

As a result, as Kaplan moves further east, starting in Sierra Leone and Liberia and ending in Cambodia, the book improves as the story unfolds.

Kaplan makes an interesting point about the Iranian Revolution, suggesting that a partial cause was not poverty but unmet rising expectations. Real income had increased significantly under the shah in the sixties, but growth then leveled off, and the benefits were unevenly distributed.

Kaplan refers to a scholar who emphasizes this, predicting that these unmet expectations will be a powerful driver of dissatisfaction and perhaps even revolt in the near future.

This is one of the few instances where Kaplan comes close to identifying an important factor in today's global struggles. The rise of the right in many countries in recent years has been fueled by dissatisfaction over unmet expectations, following broken promises of a golden future.

In the end, Kaplan's overarching conclusion seems to be that for humanity to save itself from overpopulation, climate destruction, and ethnic annihilation, solutions must be forged at a local level and cannot be imposed by outsiders.

A few additional notes:

Kaplan visited Freetown about ten years before I did, and his experiences and the places he visited are almost identical to mine.

Kaplan points out that Turkey, under Ataturk, favored paganism over Islam in its push to become more secular.

I was unaware of the outbreaks of violence in Azerbaijan around the time of the Soviet Union's fall, both against autocratic control from Moscow and through ethnic conflicts with the Armenians. At the time of his writing, Azerbaijan had not yet embarked on its autocratic path.

Kaplan's predictions are sometimes way off the mark, but a major reason for this is the black swan event of 9/11.

This is a truly challenging and thought-provoking book. It is not only intellectually stimulating but also has the power to deeply disturb the reader.

The author delves into various complex issues and presents a vivid picture of the chaos and disorder that exist in certain regions. The descriptions are so detailed and vivid that they can make one's heart race and mind reel.

It forces us to confront the harsh realities of the world and question our own assumptions and beliefs. This book is not for the faint of heart, but for those who are willing to face the truth and engage in a meaningful dialogue about the state of our world.

It is a wake-up call that demands our attention and action. We cannot afford to turn a blind eye to the problems that plague these regions any longer.

We must come together and find solutions to bring peace, stability, and prosperity to these areas. This book is a powerful reminder of our responsibility as global citizens.

This book was a rather challenging yet captivating read.

The author offers a unique geopolitical travelogue that encompasses Africa, the Near and Middle East, Central Asia, and Southeast Asia.

In each country, he vividly presents the state of the economy, the nature of the government, and the characteristics of the people.

Interestingly, many of these countries came into being either after the era of colonialism or the disintegration of the Soviet Union, and in some cases, there seems to be no genuine historical or ethnic basis for their existence as a unified country.

This aspect intrigued me as I had always assumed that there must be valid reasons for a country to be a distinct entity, but as it turns out, in many instances, this is not the case.

The author endeavors to seek a rhyme or reason as to why some of these countries and regions have thrived while others have not. However, his ultimate conclusion is that he remains uncertain.

Overall, the book is well-written, albeit a touch dry at times. Nevertheless, I found it interesting enough that I not only managed to finish the book despite having to relocate in the middle of reading and having to track down the library book in my new location but also decided that I will read another book by Robert Kaplan, although perhaps a shorter one.

I've only read a portion of this book, but it has been stuck in my memory for years.

It's truly remarkable how a partial reading could have such a lasting impact. I feel an urgent need to finish it.

Kaplan's studies on refugee camps are fascinating. He posits that these camps will be a powerful tool for understanding future state collapses, displacement, civil war, and other complex issues.

By examining the conditions and dynamics within refugee camps, we can gain valuable insights into the broader social, political, and economic forces at play.

This knowledge can help us better prepare for and respond to such challenges in the future.

It is essential that we take Kaplan's work seriously and continue to explore the implications of his findings.

Only by doing so can we hope to make a positive difference in the lives of those affected by these difficult circumstances.

Despite having some differences in political views, I have always had a genuine appreciation for Robert Kaplan's travel books. At their peak, they are like a captivating historical journey around the world, offering not only a solid foundation in contemporary politics but also a vivid portrayal of the daily lives of countless people in distant lands. However, with these expectations in mind, I was truly let down by this lackluster and shallow tour across West Africa and the Near East, which has not aged well over time.

The book appears to focus on an impending anarchy that is supposed to engulf the planet. While there has indeed been some degree of anarchy and more may potentially follow, it is far from what Kaplan was forecasting. In this work, he becomes fixated on tropical diseases and crime, which are not the major threats that concern us today. Although many of his predictions proved incorrect, that is an inherent risk when making forecasts in the first place. As such, it can be forgiven to some extent. What is much more difficult to overlook, however, is his insufferably cliched writing and the revival of some of the most cringe-worthy orientalism from the past century. Kaplan comes across as a stereotypical arrogant Western travel writer, seemingly believing he has the ability to extract centuries of history from a casual glance given by a random passerby on the street of a foreign city. The book is充斥着 these unbearable digressions in every indistinguishable "dust-choked, hot, smoggy" shantytown that he unfortunately visits. Even worse, Kaplan's tangents are not even based on any profound or insightful information. They are the same shallow cliches and obvious historical facts that one would immediately think of if they needed to say something about a place quickly. Large sections of the book are essentially filler, attempting to make the writer appear sophisticated. Generally, they do not succeed in this regard.

Reading this book two decades after its publication, and taking into account the changes in social norms, I must also conclude that the portions of the book regarding West Africa are blatantly racist. He went there and had a不愉快的经历, which is understandable. He describes his aversion to the places he visits in vivid detail. What is puzzling, however, is his gratuitous conflation of the conditions in places like Sierra Leone with modern American racial politics and crime. At one point, he literally describes the slave trade as a "process by which the problems of West Africa could one day become [America's] own." It is astonishing to hear an obviously intelligent person draw such a ridiculous connection, but such is the power of pre-9/11 era prejudices. His obsession with "crime" in America and everywhere he goes in general feels like a time capsule from a previous generation's neurosis.

I fail to see the point of visiting and writing about places that one clearly dislikes. It is unenjoyable for both the author and the reader. I have learned a great deal from Kaplan's books and have often found them enjoyable, so I am disappointed by how uninspired and even ignorant this one is. It is slightly redeemed by the decent, albeit unremarkable, segment on Iran and some of the nice turns of phrase here and there. But there are far superior guides to all these countries that have been written in the intervening years.

Written in the mid-1990s, the author embarked on a remarkable journey that took him through Africa, Turkey and the Caucasus, Iran, and South Asia.

He then reported on his extensive findings. Interestingly, in some of his observations, he showed a certain degree of prophecy. However, I have a particular preference for those of his books where he zeroes in on just one region of the world.

This particular book attempts to cover four vastly different regions. Nevertheless, he doesn't engage in much comparison among them. As a result, it remains unclear as to why he decided to combine all of them into a single volume.

In my opinion, if he hadn't tried to cover such a wide expanse of ground in a rather condensed manner, he could have presented a much more compelling and detailed argument about each of the four regions. This would have allowed for a more in-depth exploration and understanding of the unique characteristics and issues of each area.

Perhaps in future works, he might consider focusing more narrowly to provide a more comprehensive and engaging analysis.

Back in the early-to-mid nineties, with the Cold War finally over, the traveling third-world journalist Robert Kaplan embarked on an extensive journey. He traversed some of the war-torn and economically devastated countries in the Old World, as well as a few that were not in such a bad state. These included Western Africa, Egypt, much of Central Asia, and Indochina. Along the way, he shared his keen observations and profound thoughts.

Kaplan is an outstanding writer who truly excels at showing rather than simply telling. At times, his prose borders on the poetic, painting vivid pictures in the reader's mind.

Throughout the book, there is a recurring theme of a world where villagers, driven by resource depletion, are compelled to abandon their traditional way of life and migrate to the big city, lured by the promise of better jobs and education for their children. This, in turn, exerts pressure on the cities, "village-izing" them and straining their resources. He predicts inevitable conflicts as the more conservative rural values collide with modern urban values.

Looking back now, this all seems remarkably prescient. Consider Egypt, where he introduces us to the Moslem Brotherhood, a fundamentalist citizen group that would later play a significant role in the Arab Spring in 2010. In fact, many of the places he visited have developed much as he predicted, although some of his forecasts were incorrect.

Overall, there is an air of what now seems like a quaint and comfortable assurance of the nineties American. It was a time when the USA was the undisputed superpower in the world, an innocent era in many respects. I am disappointed that I discovered this book so late! It must have been a real eye-opener back in 1997 when it was published. As a middle-aged man in 2017, I wish I had had the courage to travel the world in my twenties, during that time.

Although the book may be a bit dated, it remains endlessly fascinating and well worth reading.

Excellent! I truly appreciate it when a writer delves deep inside a culture. It's like opening a door to a whole new world and experiencing its essence. This is precisely the sort of traveler I aspire to be. However, I feel that I am still too backward in this regard. I long to have the courage and curiosity to explore different cultures, to understand their traditions, values, and ways of life. But sometimes, I am held back by my own limitations. Nevertheless, I will continue to strive and learn, hoping to one day become the kind of traveler who can truly immerse in a culture and bring back those precious experiences and insights. Recommended.

I'll buy any book Robert Kaplan publishes.

I truly have a great admiration for him. What impresses me is that he freely admits in his introduction that he was wrong about the conclusions he drew in an earlier book he published. This kind of honesty and self-awareness is rare and refreshing.

He has a remarkable ability to weave history, geography, politics, and personal experience together in a seamless way. His writing style should appeal not only to academics and geopolitical wonks but also to lovers of travel literature. The best part is that he doesn't put the lay reader to sleep. Instead, his books are engaging and thought-provoking.

After reading his works, I always feel so smart. It's as if I have gained a deeper understanding of the world around me. His books are outstanding and I highly recommend them to anyone who is interested in learning more about history, geography, politics, or travel.