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BOOK REPORT: THE COMING ANARCHY by ROBERT D. KAPLAN If you want a point of view totally different from Robert Reich` s (and mine), a truly bleak view of the future, look into Robert D. Kaplan`s The Coming Anarchy. Kaplan is another of my favorite writers. He has spent many years in the most depressed and depressing parts of the world such as Sierra Leone, Sudan and Russia. He likens the economically successful nations such as the United States, Japan and Western Europe to wealthy individuals partying in a stretch limo in the worst part of the Bronx-- the locals are starting to bang on the windows. While I do not share Kaplan`s outlook or many other of his contrarian notions-- the rehabilitation of Henry Kissinger, for example--he is a tireless traveler, a keen observer and a wonderful writer. His deservedly acclaimed Balkan Ghosts succeeded in persuading Bill Clinton to stay out of the Balkans until the geniuses in the State Department convinced him that history had nothing to do with that conflict, that it was just a matter of local politics. In the Balkans everything is a matter of history. I have a lot faith in the lessons of history. Certainly in the Balkans we have learned not to expect a lot of love and stability. On the other hand, one of the basic premises of The Center for Creating the Future is that in the long run the pessimists have been wrong: Malthus,The Club of Rome, and all the many other predictors of disaster over the years. That�s not to say there are no serious problems, it's just that so far humanity has stayed on its feet in spite of all the catastrophes we've been through and is still managing to stagger forward. Nonetheless, Robert Kaplan`s message should not be ignored. His pessimism will be correct if we try to kid ourselves that everything will be all right without any effort on our collective parts. Jack Latona The Center for Creating the Future [email protected] www.creatingthefuture.org Fort Lauderdale, FL USA |
| Date of Review: June 2001 |