The Loom of Time

“A lively and provocative new study explores the powerful forces influencing the region in a disorderly, multipolar world.”—Financial Times “The Loom of Time is Robert D. Kaplan’s latest, characteristically magisterial book, and . . . holds the key to his enduring importance.”—UnHerd “Continuing Robert D. Kaplan’s work as the premier American scholar of geopolitics, The Loom of Time is a book that everyone who wants to understand the real forces that decide war and peace should read.”—John Gray, author of The New Leviathans: Thoughts After Liberalism “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 Review   “Permeating all of [Kaplan's] accounts of people and places is the ‘inevitability of tragedy’ unless we learn the lessons of history, geography and culture, and then apply our imagination.”—Policy magazine “A characteristically informative and enjoyable mix of travelogue, history, and geopolitical analysis . . . Refreshingly provocative.”—Yahoo News “In this captivating examination of how geography, history, and culture have coalesced to shape political order in the Greater Middle East, Robert D. Kaplan has once again shown his mastery.”—Vali Nasr, Majid Khadduri Professor of Middle East Studies and International Affairs and author of The Shia Revival “Ambitious, learned, sweeping, and thought provoking, Kaplan’s book is a fascinating story of a decadeslong journey to understand the Middle East’s nuances, and it is richly rewarding.”—Jon Alterman, Center for Strategic and International Studies, director, Middle East Program “With many Americans longing to leave a region of ‘endless wars’ in the rear-view mirror, Kaplan’strenchant observations remind us that it will remain a fundamental U.S. concern for years to come.”—Eric S. Edelman, former U.S. ambassador to Turkey and former undersecretary of defense for policy “Luminously written, . . .the book brims with perceptive, vivid insights. . . . A masterful account.”—Rajan Menon, author of The Conceit of Humanitarian Intervention “This lucid and penetrating bundle of insight on the Greater Middle East . . . couldn’t be more timely.”—Robert W. Merry, author of President McKinley “No one captures the complexities and contradictions of this region like Robert Kaplan. The Loom of Time weaves together history, biography, and sharp reporting to tell a story of a region still in search of itself.”—Ray Takeyh, author of The Last Shah “[Robert Kaplan’s] conclusions in The Loom of Time, once again, are sure to spark deep debate.”—Robin Wright, author of Rock the Casbah “As always, the author offers much food for thought about a variety of geopolitical issues. Little encouraging news but brilliantly delivered.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)