Final class meeting: Robert Kaplan's view of the future

For Friday, we will discuss not only cultural globalization, but then we will turn our attention to Robert Kaplan and his gloomy picture of the future world: political, environmental, and social. You don't have to accept Kaplan's prognosis, but we will want to examine his views in depth.

We will have hard copy of the following chapters from his book ("The Coming Anarchy") in class and will read aloud, just as we did on the first day with Thucydides.

Try to read one of the following:

So for the most important chapter (also called "The Coming Anarchy"), go here. It's loooonnnnggg. (See the page numbers on the bottom of the screen, or just click on "print view" near the top of the article on the right.)

Another chapter is equally provocative, and is called "Was Democracy Just a Moment?" It is shorter. Go here for the article, and remember to read the whole thing by clicking on successive page numbers at the bottom of the screen.

Finally, the shortest chapter/article is called "The Dangers of Peace" and is here.

And cultural globalization? You probably won't have time, but see the syllabus for "Naomi Klien," a well-known critic of globalized capitalism. Another good source is Benjamin Barber, who we have mentioned before. Go here for his famous essay on "Jihad vs. McWorld."

Great stuff! See you tomorrow!