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

Reviews - Amazon.com

Reviewer: A reader from New Mexico, July 19, 1998

"Pragmatic and objective - Repeatedly in this book he cites the burdens of colonialism and the effects of haphardard geography and willingness to arm anyone claiming to be "democratic" or an anticommunist. I've had the opportunity to travel to some of his destinations and his reflections on the smells, the refuse and the human tragedy of mediocrity hits the mark. This book is about first-hand experience and impressions; he balances these observations with facts, figures and literature. Kaplan's above being a neo-Richard Burton or Graham Greene; his work is valuable because it's objectivity with a twist of gut reaction so it's not CIA reports or embassy description. His contribution to understanding the "Third World" is excellent as it is rare."

Reviewer: Jon Reimer from Victoria, BC Canada, December 6, 2001

"Robert Kaplan has made a name for himself by combining the page turning, easy-reading style of many (unfortunately factless) journalists into authoritive accounts of humanity's struggles in the developing world.

From my own travels in the developing world, I have seen that, even more than in the United States or anywhere else in the developed world, foriegn elites can live a rich and privileged life away from the general populace. This is exactly what has happened among residents of embassies, development projects and expatriate businesses. The result of this distance is the complete inability to understand the complexity of world issues.

Kaplan's strength is the insights he gains by travelling on the ground in bush taxis and dusty pensions; he recognizes that these economic, political, cultural and geographical issues are inextricably linked and must be dealt with as such."