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In this landmark book, Robert D. Kaplan, veteran correspondent for The Atlantic monthly and author of Balkan ghosts, shows how American imperialism and the Global War on Terrorism are implemented on the ground, mission by mission, in the most exotic landscapes around the world. Given unprecedented access, Kaplan takes us from the jungles of the southern Philippines to the glacial dust bowls of Mongolia, from the forts of Afghanistan to the forests of South America--not to mention Iraq--to show us Army Special Forces, Marines, and other uniformed Americans carrying out the many facets of U.S. foreign policy: negotiating with tribal factions, storming terrorist redoubts, performing humanitarian missions and training foreign soldiers. In Imperial grunts, Kaplan provides an unforgettable insider's account not only of our current involvement in world affairs, but also of where America, including the culture of its officers and enlisted men, is headed. This is the rare book that has the potential to change the way readers view the men and women of the military, war, and the global reach of American imperialism today. As Kaplan writes, the only way to understand America's military is "on foot, or in a Humvee, with the troops themselves, for even as elites in New York and Washington debated imperialism in grand, historical terms, individual marines, soldiers, airmen, and sailors--all the cultural repositories of America's unique experience with freedom--were interpreting policy on their own, on the ground, in dozens upon dozens of countries every week, oblivious to such faraway discussions ...… (meer)
An outstanding book! Very easy read with some real life, down to earth characters.
VERY interesting insight into some forgotten (by me) areas of the world (Yemen, Columbia, Mongolia...), what has happened there in the past, and what's going on around the world today.
Changed my mind about the U.S. as an imperialist nation and what that means.
Surprisingly the author keeps making some major grammatical errors (he's not trying to be Elmore Leonard) and for a geography geek has made one glaring error in locations. ( )
Tone seemed a bit off. The focus was on special forces, not your standard infantry personnel. Lots of disdain for the support troops required to support forces. ( )
In the tradition of John Reed, this book is journalism that clearly skews towards its subject. The fact that Kaplan is an engaging writer makes up for his sometime sycophantic writing on the military. I found it odd that in all his travels for this book he met only one member of the military he found mildly annoying. In an organization as large as the US military there are going to be great guys and a$%holes. The chapters not having to do with Afghanistan and Iraq are the most interesting, because they are more obscure. I think few Americans realize we have forces in Columbia, the Philippines. Although I disagree with some of the authors view points I do feel this is an important book that illuminates the lives of the military men and women and the military's global reach. ( )
Originally gave it three stars but changed upon further reflection. I appreciate Kaplan's critcisms of our military as a bureaucracy while still praising it profusely for its good people. I enjoyed the focus on the geopolitical and strategic aspect of today's American "empire." Kaplan remains one of my favorites. ( )
For a non-military guy, I really liked this book. Kaplan follows soldiers through boot camp to their placement in the world. It gave me a different perspective on the usefulness of a well-trained army. I also liked the explanations of the different regions of influence such as CENCOM AND PACOM. ( )
Informatie afkomstig uit de Engelse Algemene Kennis.Bewerk om naar jouw taal over te brengen.
Major Victor Joppolo, U.S.A., was a good man. ...We have need of him. He is our future in the world. Neither the eloquence of Churchill nor the humaneness of Roosevelt, no Charter, no four freedoms or fourteen points, no dreamer's diagram so symmetrical and so faultless on paper, no plan, no hope, no treaty--none of these things can guarantee anything. Only men can guarantee, only the behavior of men under pressure, only our Joppolos. --John Hersey, "A Bell for Adano" 1944
Imperialism moved forward, not as a result of commercial or political pressure from London, Paris, Berlin, St. Petersburg, or even Washington, but mainly because men on the periphery, many of whom were soldiers, pressed to enlarge the boundaries of empire, often without orders, even against orders. --Douglas Porch, professor at the Naval War College, Newport, Rhode Island, 1996
In a campaign against Indians, the front is all around, and the rear is nowhere. --Erasmus D. Keyes, "Fifty Years' Observation of Men and Events", 1884
Opdracht
Informatie afkomstig uit de Engelse Algemene Kennis.Bewerk om naar jouw taal over te brengen.
To the memory of Marine 1st Lt. Joshua Palmer of Banning, California, born November 28, 1978, killed in action April 8, 2004.
And to all the other U.S. Marines killed or wounded during the fighting in Fallujah, Iraq, in April 2004.
Eerste woorden
Informatie afkomstig uit de Engelse Algemene Kennis.Bewerk om naar jouw taal over te brengen.
He was a lieutenant colonel in the First Marine Expeditionary Force (I MEF as it is written, and One MEF as it is spoken) stationed at Camp Pendleton, California.
Citaten
Informatie afkomstig uit de Engelse Algemene Kennis.Bewerk om naar jouw taal over te brengen.
The Romans, by their rites of purification, accepted and justified the world as it was, with all its cruelty. The Americans, heir to the Christian tradition, seek what is not yet manifest: the higher ideal.
Laatste woorden
Ontwarringsbericht
Uitgevers redacteuren
Auteur van flaptekst/aanprijzing
Oorspronkelijke taal
Informatie afkomstig uit de Engelse Algemene Kennis.Bewerk om naar jouw taal over te brengen.
In this landmark book, Robert D. Kaplan, veteran correspondent for The Atlantic monthly and author of Balkan ghosts, shows how American imperialism and the Global War on Terrorism are implemented on the ground, mission by mission, in the most exotic landscapes around the world. Given unprecedented access, Kaplan takes us from the jungles of the southern Philippines to the glacial dust bowls of Mongolia, from the forts of Afghanistan to the forests of South America--not to mention Iraq--to show us Army Special Forces, Marines, and other uniformed Americans carrying out the many facets of U.S. foreign policy: negotiating with tribal factions, storming terrorist redoubts, performing humanitarian missions and training foreign soldiers. In Imperial grunts, Kaplan provides an unforgettable insider's account not only of our current involvement in world affairs, but also of where America, including the culture of its officers and enlisted men, is headed. This is the rare book that has the potential to change the way readers view the men and women of the military, war, and the global reach of American imperialism today. As Kaplan writes, the only way to understand America's military is "on foot, or in a Humvee, with the troops themselves, for even as elites in New York and Washington debated imperialism in grand, historical terms, individual marines, soldiers, airmen, and sailors--all the cultural repositories of America's unique experience with freedom--were interpreting policy on their own, on the ground, in dozens upon dozens of countries every week, oblivious to such faraway discussions ...
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(3.9)
2
VERY interesting insight into some forgotten (by me) areas of the world (Yemen, Columbia, Mongolia...), what has happened there in the past, and what's going on around the world today.
Changed my mind about the U.S. as an imperialist nation and what that means.
Surprisingly the author keeps making some major grammatical errors (he's not trying to be Elmore Leonard) and for a geography geek has made one glaring error in locations. (