Rating: 
Summary: Kaplan as the new Marco Polo
Review: One of the sad shortcomings of American society is that it has produced generations of illiterates when it comes to an understanding of the complexity of the world. When given a choice between watching some "reality" show versus reading about significant world events that can affect our lives, millions will chose who gets voted off the island versus understanding why Sept 11, 2001 happened. Kaplan digs deep into the real world, but would never reach the recognition rate of a tart who became famous for her disappearing cigar trick and became a "star" on her own "reality" show.
What sets Kaplan apart from many of his fellow journalists is his hard work and sacrifice to get the story, enduring a lot of hardship to get to the real world as we never see it, and seldom read about. And his story is about the future of mankind instead of tabloid titillation which dominates the news, but is really the toilet paper of history.
As someone who has traveled in many of the countries where Kaplan has developed his stories, I find his insightful observations and conversations with the real folk to put into perspective the superficial observations I have made, or read about from journalists who get the story from the comfort of their hotel rooms without ever getting their fingernails dirty. Even worse, his fellow journalists show up with their story already written and go home as soon as it is "verified" by talking to some propagandist, functionary, or peasant who fits their purposes.
This is another very good book about the real world, including the vast disparity in the development of areas and peoples whose ancestors were the subjects of Marco Polo's travelogue.
Americans can be very naive about the world, which is not surprising given the pitifully politically correct versions of history taught in all levels of schools today, but Kaplan has been there and experienced the world, with all its warts, and does a great job of putting it all into perspective. Like Polo's second excursion to Cathay, he went north and met the descendents of the same people who live in a world far closer to Polo's than the one we know today, seven hundred years later.
While some of the events and people are changed from the book, it is a great book to understand the complexity of the forces dictating world events today in a very dangerous part of the world, the breeding grounds of the next phase of world conflict.
Rating: 
Summary: A Proven Prophet By Travels, Observations & Writings!
Review: Robert Kaplan is simply one of the most interesting authors, travelers and social commentors I have ever read. He has done it again with this book based on his travels.Kaplan does not paint a rosy picture for the coming global world. He sees only about 25 nations flourishing tremendously because they have a strong middle class as the keystone to any democratic society of prosperity. Yet, he also sees utter failures of fate for many other nations who lack such a middle class and he notes you just cannot create one. This means utter chaos for such nations whose leaders care only about themselves. He was one of the first to witness the migration of rural young men going to urban centers in the Middle East looking to fine streets paved with gold but ending up in poverty. Iran alone would have to create over 800,000 jobs in Teheran every year and no such infrastructure exists. This poverty leads these young men to become victims of those who end up feeding, housing and teaching them. Unfortunately, it is the extremists elements of misguided Mullahs and Cleric's of Islamic Schools who preach hate and discrimination as a means to justify the killing of innocent people to fight evil. Such beliefs and practices are evil within themselves and were used by the Nazis. It is the same poverty of the depression that created 2 million "Brown Shirts" that were housed and taught by Rohm for Hitler's political intimidation that took over Germany. He sees the "Have-Nots" of the world becoming victims of propaganda to target the "Haves" of the world. The poverty of education and opportunity keeps such people from advancing in any society. Leaving us with future suicide bombers to any Apostles of Deception's untruths. In the end, only victims abound on all sides. The only place I see hope is where the region does abound with rich oil resources that can create a middle class if a governmental structure can be formed. But the idea of private property rights does not exist, as we know it today. Only bans of lawlessness, warlords, and clan justice, something not conducive to creating a middle class anytime soon. I came away knowing the key to preventing Kaplan's observable doom for this region is to start a massive education plan immediately. This must be tied to an exchange of multicultural immigration plan to employ these young men and women in other countries where they are needed. But the events of September 11 have diminished much of my hope!
Rating: 
Summary: The Sequel to "Balkan Ghosts"
Review: Robert Kaplan picks up where he left off in this book of travels. Kaplan, whose "Balkan Ghosts" became the point of departure for those State Department and other US government officials requiring a quick education about the complexities and entrenchment of the Balkan mind in the days leading up to the NATO confrontations with Serbia (including Bill Clinton, who is rumored to have delayed action in Yugoslavia in part because of Kaplan's insights), travels to the Balkans, Turkey, the Middle East, and then on to the Trans-Caucuses (known as "Tartary" to the Elizabethans). Like Kaplan's other travel books, this is more than a traveler's book of anecdotes; this is a book of history and lost histories and life on big historical divides. Especially relevant is his section on Armenia, a nation with its own (lowercase) diaspora and rich history. More generally, this book provides a workable education on the state of the Trans-Caucuses region, which is among the least understood regions on the planet - no small matter since, with Russia's increased importance in the energy markets, this is a region that stands to gain hugely in relative world importance.
Rating:
Summary: Kaplan revisits his old haunts
Review: Robert Kaplan revisits some of the countries of his previous books, and the end result is a fascinating Hungary-to-Central Asia itinerary, mainly by train and bus. Through it all, he describes how these places have changed and what he predicts for their future. Kaplan's tragic flaw is that he's never content to be a mere travel writer; he's always seeking out deep truths about the world's future, and it is this overreaching that creates the flaws in his books. His normal approach is to describe interviews he's had with local (self-serving?) experts, and from this shaky foundation, extrapolate into the future. In short, this book is not the equal of his earlier work, 'The Ends of the Earth.' In this book, Kaplan's itinerary took him through Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Israel, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Turkmenistan. Very little has been written in English about the last few countries, and Kaplan's book, despite its drawbacks, does introduce the reader to the political and ethnic dynamics of the region.
Rating:
Summary: Necessary reading for the new century
Review: Robert Kaplan's book "Eastward to Tartary" is a bold and incisive firsthand look into the present and possible futures of Eastern Europe, the Near East and the Caucuses. Kaplan's reflections on his journeys give the reader great food for thought. Kaplan deftly traces the possible fault lines of future conflicts and global problem spots. His conclusions give fresh urgency to the Biblical injunction to "be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves" (Matthew 10:16). "Eastward to Tartary" is not your typical piece of travel writing. It not only describes the areas dealt with, it analyzes the possible future of each region. The book is no mere academic missive written by a policy wonk either. Chapter after chapter, Kaplan demonstrates his skill as a writer. He is a true craftsman with words. I read this book quite quickly due to how compelling and well written it is. Each chapter draws the reader into the next. Books like this should be required reading for leaders in the West. Not everyone will agree with Kaplan's conclusions. This notwithstanding, "Eastward to Tartary" is one heck of a wake-up call. I recommend it highly.
Rating:
Summary: Necessary reading for the new century
Review: Robert Kaplan's book "Eastward to Tartary" is a bold and incisive firsthand look into the present and possible futures of Eastern Europe, the Near East and the Caucuses. Kaplan's reflections on his journeys give the reader great food for thought. Kaplan deftly traces the possible fault lines of future conflicts and global problem spots. His conclusions give fresh urgency to the Biblical injunction to "be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves" (Matthew 10:16). "Eastward to Tartary" is not your typical piece of travel writing. It not only describes the areas dealt with, it analyzes the possible future of each region. The book is no mere academic missive written by a policy wonk either. Chapter after chapter, Kaplan demonstrates his skill as a writer. He is a true craftsman with words. I read this book quite quickly due to how compelling and well written it is. Each chapter draws the reader into the next. Books like this should be required reading for leaders in the West. Not everyone will agree with Kaplan's conclusions. This notwithstanding, "Eastward to Tartary" is one heck of a wake-up call. I recommend it highly.
Rating:
Summary: not as great as "balkan ghosts" but what could be?
Review: Robert Kaplan's has written another educational and interesting book about areas of the world that are just about to emerge as news stories. This book is not as great as "Balkan Ghosts," but what is? That book was a classic, and is undoubtedly the most influencial book written on the Balkans in our lifetime. "East to Tartary" told me a lot about countries I knew a little about (Turkey, Israel, Armenia) and opend a new world about several countries that fascinating and sure to be important within the next decade--the countries east of the Caspian Sea, which are rich in oil and natural gas. Mr. Kaplan travels as a regular traveler would--on steamships, buses and trains crowded with ordinary citizens of Eastern European and Central Asian countries. This book is highly recommended. Am I going to have to wait another three years for the next Kaplan report on the world. David W. Lee Edmond, OK leelawok@mmcable.com
Rating: 
Summary: Another failed attemp to understand the region in question
Review: Since I am from that region and I also lived in the US for a very long time I can understand Mr Kaplan's dilemma: It is almost
impossible for a "Westerner" to understand the intricacies of the region and of the character of its people, especially if one has a manifestly orientalist view of world. If you set out to explore the world believing that Western values are the ones that are universal and applicable to any society in any time, you will find yourself in Mr. Kaplan's shoes: you will convince yourself and your fellow Western experts that how advanced Western countries are and how hopeless the situation in the third world countries to establish western values in their societies. The book is full of views based on scientifically immature opinions, derived not from Mr. Kaplan's observations but from the attempted explanations of intellectuals of the countries in question. Furthermore, you can encounter some scenes of a country depicted skillfully, choice of which evinces that the author of the book is not partial. Other than those negative aspects, Mr. Kaplan is a talented writer, the book is enjoyable and it is good to know the opinions(likes and/or dislikes) of an influential author and intellectual towards certain cultures.
Rating:
Summary: Absolutely Elegant
Review: The word that comes to mind in describing "Eastward to Tartary" by Robert Kaplan, is "ELEGANT." The work is elegant in its design, presentation, and observation. You don't have to agree with Kaplan on everything that he postulates in order to appreciate his rationales which are always based on a combination of keen observation and undisputed history. I doubt if I will ever get to the Balkans, and certainly never to The Caucasus. I found Kaplan's prose to be is as crisp as Kodachrome as he descibes his descent from one poorly governed, poorly prepared for the 21st century society to another - with each one notably worse than the previous one, except for a few exceptions down the east coast of the Mediterranean.
Kaplan takes the reader directly down the faultline where east has, and continues to meet west. The cultural equivalent of plate tectonics sitting on top of huge barely-tapped oil supplies will certainly have an affect the 21st century. This book gives the reader a clear sense of just how complex the region is, and will continue to be. To compare anything Kaplan oberves in these travels to anything in the United States is missing the point. From west to east, cultural/traditional ties to the west evaporate from miniscule to zero.
Rating:
Summary: 6 stars at least
Review: This book is a detailed political, historical and social analysis of Central Europe, Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Jordan, and the countries of the Caucasus. Kaplan begins his journey in Budapest. After visiting with friends there, he boards the train to visit Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Israel and Jordan. Later, he arrives again in Turkey to head east to travel through Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Turkmenistan. At each stop along the way, he discusses politics and history with political leaders, dissidents, friends, and ordinary people. He combines comments from these sources with skilled observations of how society is working from the ground up in each locale to create extremely well-thought out and informed analyses of the social and political situation in the countries that he visits. By happenstance, I read this book immediately after reading Peter Theroux's Great Train Bazaar. What a contrast- - although their journey followed the same route for much of the way, Theroux told us little more about the countries he visited than the wines available within easy reach of the train station- -Kaplan sees so much more. Theroux sets off on his trip because he wants a trip to write about and he likes trains. Kaplan also takes his trip to get material to write about, but Kaplan first begins by writing a very clear list of questions that he plans to research during the trip. He wants to understand "the future borders of Europe, the underpinnings of the coming meltdown of Arab dictatorships, and the social and political effects of new Caspian Sea energy pipelines." He also wants to know "how people saw themselves. Were national or ethnic loyalties giving way to new forms of cosmopolitanism, through globalization? If so, what did that mean for the future of authoritarian regimes? If dictatorships gave way to more democratic rule, would that mean more stability or less- -more civility or less- -in the countries through which [he] would pass?" These are very heavy questions, and answers to them should be of interest to all global citizens, (especially policy makers, we would hope). Kaplan's observations and quotations cut to the quick of global society and culture. Kaplan's phrases like "social anarchy", "kleptocracy," and "moral vacuum" are brilliant descriptions of so many parts of the new Eastern Europe-Western Asia. In Romania, he is told "When we buy computers, compact disks, and clothes, we borrow the material consequences of the West without grasping the fundamental values that created such technologies in the first place." In Turkey, a human rights activist tells him "Westernization here is interpreted as secularization, not as democratization." In Bulgaria, his observations lead him to comment "The illusion that human progress is inexorable arises from the accident of one's historical and geographical good fortune." In Syria, he notes "Arab society was a conundrum: Among themselves, and in the privacy of their own homes, honesty, civility, and cleanliness reigned, yet none of these attributes overflowed into public life and spaces." After exploring the ritzy facades and partially hidden poverty of post-war Lebanon, he notes "Lebanon suggest that the 'end of history' is not democracy or humanism but materialism. People wanted goods and the money with which to buy them more than they wanted the rule of law." Later, "Middle East politics are like those of the ancient world- -a Greek or Roman could understand them better than an American." (Could this be why we're having so much trouble in Iraq?) Near the end of his journey in Turkmenistan, he looks back "But what were my conclusions after almost four thousand miles of travel?... That power and self-interest would shape the immediate future, at least in this part of the world." On the bright side, he states that the greatest lesson that he learned in Israel was that "Self-interest at its healthiest implicitly recognizes the self-interest of others, and therein lies the possibility of compromise." But he goes on to warn "A rigid moral position admits few compromises." This is a scary book, and many of its comments and conclusions are out of alignment with "political correct" ideology. But after traveling through parts of this region, and living on the margins of it for five years where I was in constant contact with people from this region, I find Kaplan's observations to be incredibly accurate. They are based on thorough research and observation, not wishful thinking or armchair travel. Is Kaplan a pessimist? No, he's just well traveled.
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