The Loom of Time
Between Empire and Anarchy, from the Mediterranean to China
Robert D. Kaplan
- **A
- stunning
- exploration
- of
- the
- Greater
- Middle
- East,
- where
- lasting
- stability
- has
- often
- seemed
- just
- out
- of
- reach
- but
- may
- hold
- the
- key
- to
- the
- shifting
- world
- order
- of
- the
- twenty-first
- century“Engaging
- .
- .
- .
- Even
- those
- who
- resist
- Kaplan’s
- tragic
- sensibility
- have
- much
- to
- learn
- from
- his
- look
- at
- the
- emerging
- Middle
- East
- and
- its
- recent
- history.”—National
- ReviewFINALIST
- FOR
- THE
- OVERSEAS
- PRESS
- CLUB’S
- CORNELIUS
- RYAN
- AWARD**The
- Greater
- Middle
- East,
- which
- Robert
- D.
- Kaplan
- defines
- as
- the
- vast
- region
- between
- the
- Mediterranean
- and
- China,
- encompassing
- much
- of
- the
- Arab
- world,
- parts
- of
- northern
- Africa,
- and
- Asia,
- existed
- for
- millennia
- as
- the
- crossroads
- of
- empire:
- Macedonian,
- Roman,
- Persian,
- Mongol,
- Ottoman,
- British,
- Soviet,
- American.
- But
- with
- the
- dissolution
- of
- empires
- in
- the
- twentieth
- century,
- postcolonial
- states
- have
- endeavored
- to
- maintain
- stability
- in
- the
- face
- of
- power
- struggles
- between
- factions,
- leadership
- vacuums,
- and
- the
- arbitrary
- borders
- drawn
- by
- exiting
- imperial
- rulers
- with
- little
- regard
- for
- geography
- or
- political
- groups
- on
- the
- ground.
- In
- the
- Loom
- of
- Time,
- Kaplan
- explores
- this
- broad,
- fraught
- space
- through
- reporting
- and
- travel
- writing
- to
- reveal
- deeper
- truths
- about
- the
- impacts
- of
- history
- on
- the
- present
- and
- how
- the
- requirements
- of
- stability
- over
- anarchy
- are
- often
- in
- conflict
- with
- the
- ideals
- of
- democratic
- governance.In
- The
- Loom
- of
- Time,
- Kaplan
- makes
- the
- case
- for
- realism
- as
- an
- approach
- to
- the
- Greater
- Middle
- East.
- Just
- as
- Western
- attempts
- at
- democracy
- promotion
- across
- the
- Middle
- East
- have
- failed,
- a
- new
- form
- of
- economic
- imperialism
- is
- emerging
- today
- as
- China's
- ambitions
- fall
- squarely
- within
- the
- region
- as
- the
- key
- link
- between
- Europe
- and
- East
- Asia.
- As
- in
- the
- past,
- the
- Greater
- Middle
- East
- will
- be
- a
- register
- of
- future
- great
- power
- struggles
- across
- the
- globe.
- And
- like
- in
- the
- past,
- thousands
- of
- years
- of
- imperial
- rule
- will
- continue
- to
- cast
- a
- long
- shadow
- on
- politics
- as
- it
- is
- practiced
- today.To
- piece
- together
- the
- history
- of
- this
- remarkable
- place
- and
- what
- it
- suggests
- for
- the
- future,
- Kaplan
- weaves
- together
- classic
- texts,
- immersive
- travel
- writing,
- and
- a
- great
- variety
- of
- voices
- from
- every
- country
- that
- all
- compel
- the
- reader
- to
- look
- closely
- at
- the
- realities
- on
- the
- ground
- and
- to
- prioritize
- these
- facts
- over
- ideals
- on
- paper.
- The
- Loom
- of
- Time
- is
- a
- challenging,
- clear-eyed
- book
- that
- promises
- to
- reframe
- our
- vision
- of
- the
- global
- twenty-first century.
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