First published 2023
Robert D. Kaplan defines the Greater Middle East as the vast territory stretching from the Mediterranean to China. This region served as the crossroads for Macedonian, Roman, Persian, Mongol, Ottoman, British, Soviet, and American empires across millennia. When these empires dissolved in the twentieth century, they left behind arbitrary borders and power vacuums. Kaplan argues that postcolonial states now struggle to maintain stability while factions compete for control and democratic ideals clash with the need for order. Through travel writing and on-the-ground reporting, he makes the case for realism over idealism in approaching Middle Eastern politics. Kaplan warns that China's economic ambitions are creating a new form of imperialism in the region, positioning it as the key battleground for future great power competition. The book weaves together classical texts, diverse local voices, and immersive travel accounts to reveal how thousands of years of imperial rule continue to shape contemporary politics and what this means for the global twenty-first century.
Genres: history, political-science, non-fiction, 21st-century, academic, american-history
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: realism-over-idealism
Setting: China, Mediterranean, Middle East
Period: Millennia, Twentieth Century
400 pages · Hardcover · Random House