Robert D. Kaplan - Leader of the "Pragmacons"?

www.crushkerry.com (soon to be www.anklebitingpundits.com) ^ | 12/31/04 | www.crushkerry.com (soon to be www.anklebitingpundits.com)

[crushkerry]

Our buddy Jim Geraghty of NRO's Kerry Spot does his usual great job in a post today about his predictions for 2005. He predicts the emergence of a new group of thinkers called "pragmacons" who:

share the ideals of the “neocons” - spreading democracy, pluralism, free markets, free speech and religious freedom throughout the world, and relentlessly crushing Islamist terror networks and the rogue states that snuggle with them. But the Pragmatic Cons will also conclude that American options and resources in this effort are limited by a faulty U.S. intelligence system and the Herculean difficulties of turning “subjects” into “citizens.”

After reading his description of a "pragmacon" we think we know who the leader of this movement might be.

His name is Robert D. Kaplan who is a prolific author on geo-politics that has been in nearly every corner of the world imaginable.

If you don't know who Kaplan is, you should. He's a brilliant and incisive writer whose books include Balkan Ghosts which eerily predicted the events in Yugoslavia well prior to their occurring, and Warrior Politics: Why Leadership Demands a Pagan Ethos which is a must read for anyone interested in the relation between geo-politics and history. (You can buy both through the Amazon link on the left side of the page)

More amazing is his November, 2002 prediction of what Iraq would look like after the fall of Saddam.

You can read Kaplan's views on the Iraq war (which he supports) and the global media and UN (which he does not) in this interview with Tucker Carlson. (Click to the "View First Up Transcript" link on the page),

He's also got a new book coming out about the war in Iraq from his point of view, embedded with the troops during the Fallujah battle. You can read a preview of that book in this terrific piece he just wrote for Policy Review

So take some time over the holiday to read his stuff if you haven't already.

[crushkerry]

Ping

[Malleus Dei]

If you haven't read Kaplan, you should. His book on warrior politics is pretty much a must-read these days.

[durasell]

Kaplan is brilliant, but he is not an optimist. This is the kind of deal where he's loved by some Freepers and hated by others.

[bubman]

I second that. Warrior Politics sits on my night table and is a "ready to read at all times" book. I read EVERYTHING the man writes. I suggest "The Arabists" as a good starting point.

[Lorianne]

I recommend this fantastic book by Kaplan (who is a prolific traveler as well as author):

The Ends of the Earth : From Togo to Turkmenistan, from Iran to Cambodia, a Journey to the Frontiers ofAnarchy

Here is a review of the book: http://www.scottlondon.com/reviews/kaplan.html

[segis]

Robert Kaplan's articles in the Atlantic Monthly are really good too. His articles are among the main reasons I still subscribe to the magazine. I am also currently reading his earlier book, Soldiers Of God.

[Malleus Dei]

Kaplan is brilliant, but he is not an optimist.

A realist is an optimist with experience. Kpalan has been there and seen it, and he knows that there aren't any easy answers.

[durasell]

Get back to me on that after you've read An Empire Wilderness...

[crushkerry]

My thoughts as well, which is why he is the prime example of a "pragmacon". Read the link in the story to his November 2002 article discussing what Iraq might look like after Saddam, as well as dealing with Iran.

[okie01]

Of interest. In particular, follow the link to Kaplan's "prediction of what Iraq would look like after the fall of Saddam".

[Malleus Dei]

Get back to me on that after you've read An Empire Wilderness...

Read it. You have a point?

[dirtboy]

Thanks for the ping. Kaplan is a very enigmatic figure - but he has earned a fair review for what he writes because he does it the old way - by going to the scene and getting the story.