Overview

The roots of American greatness are laid bare by examining the geography from which our power springs--showing how westward expansion shaped our national character, and how it should shape our foreign policy. An incisive portrait of the American landscape that shows how geography continues to determine America's role in the world Book Club Pick for Now Read This, fromPBS NewsHourandThe New York Times.""There is more insight here into the Age of Trump than in bushels of political-horse-race journalism.""-The New York Times Book Review (Editors' Choice) At a time when there is little consensus about who we are and what we should be doing with our power overseas, a return to the elemental truths of the American landscape is urgently needed. InEarning the Rockies,New York Timesbestselling authorRobert D. Kaplan undertakes a cross-country journey, traversing a rich and varied landscape that still remains the primary source of American power. Traveling west, in the same direction as the pioneers, Kaplan witnesses both prosperity and decline, and reexamines the history of westward expansion in a new light- as a story not just of genocide and individualism but also of communalism and a respect for the limits of a water-starved terrain. Concluding at the edge of the Pacific Ocean with a gripping description of an anarchic world,Earning the Rockiesshows how America's foreign policy response ought to be rooted in its own geographical situation. Praise forEarning the Rockies ""Unflinchingly honest . . . a lens-changing vision of America's role in the world . . . a jewel of a book that lights the path ahead.""-Secretary of Defense James Mattis ""A sui generis writer . . . America's East Coast establishment has only one Robert Kaplan, someone as fluently knowledgeable about the Balkans, Iraq, Central Asia and West Africa as he is about Ohio and Wyoming.""-Financial Times ""Kaplan has pursued stories in places as remote as Yemen and Outer Mongolia. InEarning the Rockies,he visits a place almost as remote to many Americans- these United States. . . . The author's point is a good one- America is formed, in part, by a geographic setting that is both sanctuary and watchtower.""-The Wall Street Journal ""Abrilliant reminder of the impact of America's geography on its strategy. . . . Kaplan's latest contribution should be required reading.""-Henry A. Kissinger ""A text both evocative and provocative for readers who like tothink... In his final sections, Kaplan discusses in scholarly but accessible detail the significant role that America has played and must play in this shuddering world.""-Kirkus Reviews

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Reviews

There is more insight here into the Age of Trump than in bushels of political-horse-race journalism. . . . Earning the Rockies is a tonic, because it brings fundamentals back into view. --The New York Times Book Review (Editors' Choice) A sui generis writer . . . America's East Coast establishment has only one Robert Kaplan, someone as fluently knowledgeable about the Balkans, Iraq, Central Asia and West Africa as he is about Ohio and Wyoming. --Financial Times In his long career as a foreign correspondent, Robert Kaplan has pursued stories in places as remote as Yemen and Outer Mongolia. In Earning the Rockies, he visits a place almost as remote to many Americans: these United States. . . . The author's point is a good one: America is formed, in part, by a geographic setting that is both sanctuary and watchtower. --The Wall Street Journal A text both evocative and provocative for readers who like to think ... In his final sections, Kaplan discusses in scholarly but accessible detail the significant role that America has played and must play in this shuddering world. --Kirkus Reviews Earning the Rockies is a brilliant reminder of the impact of America's geography on its strategy. An essential complement to his previous work on the subject of geostrategy, Kaplan's latest contribution should be required reading. --Henry A. Kissinger Robert D. Kaplan uses America's unique geography and frontier experience to provide a lens-changing vision of America's role in the world, one that will capture your imagination. Unflinchingly honest, this refreshing approach shows how ideas from outside Washington, D.C., will balance America's idealism and pragmatism in dealing with a changed world. A jewel of a book, Earning the Rockies lights the path ahead. --General (Ret.) James Mattis Earning the Rockies is a thoughtful, engrossing, eloquent reflection on the United States' westward expansion to fill our continent--and on the implications of the resulting national character for the current debate about the proper role of America in the world. Here's another masterpiece by Robert D. Kaplan. --General (Ret.) David Petraeus Robert D. Kaplan has given us a great gift in this intelligent, engaging, and memorable book about America at home and abroad. Jefferson believed our national fate inextricably linked to the West; Kaplan shows us how true that remains all these years distant. --Jon Meacham, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House Any Robert D. Kaplan road trip is bound to be compelling, but Earning the Rockies is all the more so for crossing America. Like Kerouac and Tocqueville, Kaplan makes us see the country in a wholly new way. This concise classic is highly recommended. --John Lewis Gaddis, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of George F. Kennan: An American Life What a fine, stimulating, energizing, and thoroughly original book . . . All diplomats and soldiers--indeed, all Americans with power or the hope of power--should read Robert D. Kaplan generally, and this slim volume particularly. --Simon Winchester, New York Times bestselling author of Pacific: The Ocean of the Future A text both evocative and provocative for readers who like to think ... In his final sections, Kaplan discusses in scholarly but accessible detail the significant role that America has played and must play in this shuddering world. --Kirkus Reviews Earning the Rockies is a brilliant reminder of the impact of America's geography on its strategy. An essential complement to his previous work on the subject of geostrategy, Kaplan's latest contribution should be required reading. --Henry A. Kissinger Robert D. Kaplan uses America's unique geography and frontier experience to provide a lens-changing vision of America's role in the world, one that will capture your imagination. Unflinchingly honest, this refreshing approach shows how ideas from outside Washington, D.C., will balance America's idealism and pragmatism in dealing with a changed world. A jewel of a book, Earning the Rockies lights the path ahead. --General (Ret.) James Mattis Earning the Rockies is a thoughtful, engrossing, eloquent reflection on the United States' westward expansion to fill our continent--and on the implications of the resulting national character for the current debate about the proper role of America in the world. Here's another masterpiece by Robert D. Kaplan. --General (Ret.) David Petraeus Robert D. Kaplan has given us a great gift in this intelligent, engaging, and memorable book about America at home and abroad. Jefferson believed our national fate inextricably linked to the West; Kaplan shows us how true that remains all these years distant. --Jon Meacham, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House Any Robert D. Kaplan road trip is bound to be compelling, but Earning the Rockies is all the more so for crossing America. Like Kerouac and Tocqueville, Kaplan makes us see the country in a wholly new way. This concise classic is highly recommended. --John Lewis Gaddis, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of George F. Kennan: An American Life What a fine, stimulating, energizing, and thoroughly original book . . . All diplomats and soldiers--indeed, all Americans with power or the hope of power--should read Robert D. Kaplan generally, and this slim volume particularly. --Simon Winchester, New York Times bestselling author of Pacific: The Ocean of the Future

There is more insight here into the Age of Trump than in bushels of political-horse-race journalism. . . . Earning the Rockies is a tonic, because it brings fundamentals back into view. --The New York Times Book Review (Editors' Choice) A sui generis writer . . . America's East Coast establishment has only one Robert Kaplan, someone as fluently knowledgeable about the Balkans, Iraq, Central Asia and West Africa as he is about Ohio and Wyoming. --Financial Times In his long career as a foreign correspondent, Robert Kaplan has pursued stories in places as remote as Yemen and Outer Mongolia. In Earning the Rockies, he visits a place almost as remote to many Americans: these United States. . . . The author's point is a good one: America is formed, in part, by a geographic setting that is both sanctuary and watchtower. --The Wall Street Journal A text both evocative and provocative for readers who like to think ... In his final sections, Kaplan discusses in scholarly but accessible detail the significant role that America has played and must play in this shuddering world. --Kirkus Reviews Earning the Rockies is a brilliant reminder of the impact of America's geography on its strategy. An essential complement to his previous work on the subject of geostrategy, Kaplan's latest contribution should be required reading. --Henry A. Kissinger Robert D. Kaplan uses America's unique geography and frontier experience to provide a lens-changing vision of America's role in the world, one that will capture your imagination. Unflinchingly honest, this refreshing approach shows how ideas from outside Washington, D.C., will balance America's idealism and pragmatism in dealing with a changed world. A jewel of a book, Earning the Rockies lights the path ahead. --Secretary of Defense James Mattis Earning the Rockies is a thoughtful, engrossing, eloquent reflection on the United States' westward expansion to fill our continent--and on the implications of the resulting national character for the current debate about the proper role of America in the world. Here's another masterpiece by Robert D. Kaplan. --General (Ret.) David Petraeus Robert D. Kaplan has given us a great gift in this intelligent, engaging, and memorable book about America at home and abroad. Jefferson believed our national fate inextricably linked to the West; Kaplan shows us how true that remains all these years distant. --Jon Meacham, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House Any Robert D. Kaplan road trip is bound to be compelling, but Earning the Rockies is all the more so for crossing America. Like Kerouac and Tocqueville, Kaplan makes us see the country in a wholly new way. This concise classic is highly recommended. --John Lewis Gaddis, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of George F. Kennan: An American Life What a fine, stimulating, energizing, and thoroughly original book . . . All diplomats and soldiers--indeed, all Americans with power or the hope of power--should read Robert D. Kaplan generally, and this slim volume particularly. --Simon Winchester, New York Times bestselling author of Pacific: The Ocean of the Future A text both evocative and provocative for readers who like to think ... In his final sections, Kaplan discusses in scholarly but accessible detail the significant role that America has played and must play in this shuddering world. --Kirkus Reviews Earning the Rockies is a brilliant reminder of the impact of America's geography on its strategy. An essential complement to his previous work on the subject of geostrategy, Kaplan's latest contribution should be required reading. --Henry A. Kissinger Robert D. Kaplan uses America's unique geography and frontier experience to provide a lens-changing vision of America's role in the world, one that will capture your imagination. Unflinchingly honest, this refreshing approach shows how ideas from outside Washington, D.C., will balance America's idealism and pragmatism in dealing with a changed world. A jewel of a book, Earning the Rockies lights the path ahead. --General (Ret.) James Mattis Earning the Rockies is a thoughtful, engrossing, eloquent reflection on the United States' westward expansion to fill our continent--and on the implications of the resulting national character for the current debate about the proper role of America in the world. Here's another masterpiece by Robert D. Kaplan. --General (Ret.) David Petraeus Robert D. Kaplan has given us a great gift in this intelligent, engaging, and memorable book about America at home and abroad. Jefferson believed our national fate inextricably linked to the West; Kaplan shows us how true that remains all these years distant. --Jon Meacham, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House Any Robert D. Kaplan road trip is bound to be compelling, but Earning the Rockies is all the more so for crossing America. Like Kerouac and Tocqueville, Kaplan makes us see the country in a wholly new way. This concise classic is highly recommended. --John Lewis Gaddis, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of George F. Kennan: An American Life What a fine, stimulating, energizing, and thoroughly original book . . . All diplomats and soldiers--indeed, all Americans with power or the hope of power--should read Robert D. Kaplan generally, and this slim volume particularly. --Simon Winchester, New York Times bestselling author of Pacific: The Ocean of the Future

“There is more insight here into the Age of Trump than in bushels of political-horse-race journalism. . . . Earning the Rockies is a tonic, because it brings fundamentals back into view.”—The New York Times Book Review (Editors’ Choice) “A sui generis writer . . . America’s East Coast establishment has only one Robert Kaplan, someone as fluently knowledgeable about the Balkans, Iraq, Central Asia and West Africa as he is about Ohio and Wyoming.”—Financial Times “In his long career as a foreign correspondent, Robert Kaplan has pursued stories in places as remote as Yemen and Outer Mongolia. In Earning the Rockies, he visits a place almost as remote to many Americans: these United States. . . . The author’s point is a good one: America is formed, in part, by a geographic setting that is both sanctuary and watchtower.”—The Wall Street Journal  “A text both evocative and provocative for readers who like to think … In his final sections, Kaplan discusses in scholarly but accessible detail the significant role that America has played and must play in this shuddering world.”—Kirkus Reviews “Earning the Rockies is a brilliant reminder of the impact of America’s geography on its strategy. An essential complement to his previous work on the subject of geostrategy, Kaplan’s latest contribution should be required reading.”—Henry A. Kissinger “Robert D. Kaplan uses America’s unique geography and frontier experience to provide a lens-changing vision of America’s role in the world, one that will capture your imagination. Unflinchingly honest, this refreshing approach shows how ideas from outside Washington, D.C., will balance America’s idealism and pragmatism in dealing with a changed world. A jewel of a book, Earning the Rockies lights the path ahead.”—Secretary of Defense James Mattis “Earning the Rockies is a thoughtful, engrossing, eloquent reflection on the United States’ westward expansion to fill our continent—and on the implications of the resulting national character for the current debate about the proper role of America in the world. Here’s another masterpiece by Robert D. Kaplan.”—General (Ret.) David Petraeus “Robert D. Kaplan has given us a great gift in this intelligent, engaging, and memorable book about America at home and abroad. Jefferson believed our national fate inextricably linked to the West; Kaplan shows us how true that remains all these years distant.”—Jon Meacham, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House “Any Robert D. Kaplan road trip is bound to be compelling, but Earning the Rockies is all the more so for crossing America. Like Kerouac and Tocqueville, Kaplan makes us see the country in a wholly new way. This concise classic is highly recommended.”—John Lewis Gaddis, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of George F. Kennan: An American Life “What a fine, stimulating, energizing, and thoroughly original book . . . All diplomats and soldiers—indeed, all Americans with power or the hope of power—should read Robert D. Kaplan generally, and this slim volume particularly.”—Simon Winchester, New York Times bestselling author of Pacific: The Ocean of the Future

Author Information

Robert D. Kaplanis the bestselling author of twenty books on foreign affairs and travel translated into many languages, includingAdriatic,The Good American,The Revenge of Geography, Asia's Cauldron, Monsoon, The Coming Anarchy, and Balkan Ghosts. He holds the Robert Strausz-Hupe Chair in Geopolitics at the Foreign Policy Research Institute.For three decades he reported on foreign affairs forThe Atlantic. Hewas amember of the Pentagon's Defense Policy Board and the U.S. Navy's Executive Panel.Foreign Policymagazine twice named him one of the world's""Top 100 Global Thinkers.""

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