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Imperial Grunts: On the Ground with the American Military, from Mongolia to the Philippines to Iraq and Beyond

by Robert D. Kaplan

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5141347,101 (3.9)8
Veteran correspondent Kaplan 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. Kaplan takes us from the jungles of the southern Philippines to the 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. Kaplan provides an insider's account of where America, including the culture of its officers and enlisted men, is headed. This book has the potential to change the way readers view the men and women of the military, war, and the global reach of America today.--From publisher description.… (more)
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Showing 1-5 of 12 (next | show all)
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. ( )
  dlinnen | Feb 3, 2024 |
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. ( )
  RobFow | Jun 16, 2013 |
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. ( )
  cblaker | Jan 13, 2012 |
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. ( )
  ORFisHome | Jul 13, 2009 |
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. ( )
  dickcraig | Aug 18, 2008 |
Showing 1-5 of 12 (next | show all)
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Epigraph
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
Dedication
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.
First words
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.
Quotations
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.
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Veteran correspondent Kaplan 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. Kaplan takes us from the jungles of the southern Philippines to the 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. Kaplan provides an insider's account of where America, including the culture of its officers and enlisted men, is headed. This book has the potential to change the way readers view the men and women of the military, war, and the global reach of America today.--From publisher description.

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Book description
Beschrijving: Voorbij de grenzen van het Amerikaanse imperium is het resultaat van twee jaar reizen van Robert Kaplan met het Amerikaanse leger, langs de kust van Afrika en Indonesië, over de Stille Oceaan, naar Irak, Thailand en Zuid-Korea. Meevliegen met een B-2 bommenwerper, leven aan boord van een kernonderzeeër, op missie met een Strykerbrigade: deze jongensdromen zijn de dagelijkse praktijk van de Amerikaanse land-, zee- en luchtstrijdkrachten overal ter wereld.

Kaplan sprak met militairen van alle rangen en weet hun verhalen in hun woorden en vanuit hun perspectief te vertellen. Bij uitzondering kreeg Kaplan toegang tot bepaalde schepen, onderzeeërs en vliegtuigen waar militairen hun werk doen. Zo brengt hij niet alleen de legercultuur indringend in beeld, maar leef je ook mee met de mannen en vrouwen die de oorlog tegen het terrorisme voeren.
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