Posted on Jul 1, 2016
How Has Robert Kaplan's 'Pagan Ethos' and 'Imperial Grunts' Philosophies Affected NCO Leadership Training to Enhance U.S. Foreign Policy?
4.72K
9
11
2
2
0
Posted in these groups: 
Mission Command
Military History
Professional Development
Military Career
Mentorship
Mission Command Military History Professional Development Military Career Mentorship
Edited >1 y ago
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 1
2
2
0
Robert Kaplan is an influential writer, however you may need to provide some more detail on how you believe his ideas about 'Pagan Ethos' and 'Imperial Grunts' have impacted NCO leadership training and US foreign policy.
I know he was one of those who supported the Iraq war early on and in hindsight I suspect most would agree that wasn't the best of ideas. I would like to believe that the neo-conservative push to establish American dominance around the world has fallen out of favor.
As for "Pagan Ethos" I haven't read the book, however it's title leads me to believe it's full of muddled and sloppy thinking. Pagan is an umbrella term that includes everything from the Roman Empire to the traditional Hopi way of life to the Shinto religion in Japan... if he's going to cherry pick from thousands of different religions in thousands of different cultures over many thousands of years... I'm disinclined to lend that type of thinking any credibility. If he had labeled his book Warrior Ethos of the Roman Legionary during the Early Republic, I'd be a lot more interested.
I know he was one of those who supported the Iraq war early on and in hindsight I suspect most would agree that wasn't the best of ideas. I would like to believe that the neo-conservative push to establish American dominance around the world has fallen out of favor.
As for "Pagan Ethos" I haven't read the book, however it's title leads me to believe it's full of muddled and sloppy thinking. Pagan is an umbrella term that includes everything from the Roman Empire to the traditional Hopi way of life to the Shinto religion in Japan... if he's going to cherry pick from thousands of different religions in thousands of different cultures over many thousands of years... I'm disinclined to lend that type of thinking any credibility. If he had labeled his book Warrior Ethos of the Roman Legionary during the Early Republic, I'd be a lot more interested.
(2)
(0)
(1)
(0)
SSG (Join to see)
Maj John Bell - Certain patterns tend to repeat themselves regardless of the religion. IMO, a big part of religion man attempting to grasp an understanding of things beyond his comprehension... if it's not in space/time as we understand it, we can't make sense of it. The fact that patterns persist over thousands of years... across various religions, means there is something important "hidden" there. From dying and reborn Gods to new Gods who struggle against and defeat older Gods.
(0)
(0)
Maj John Bell
SSG (Join to see) - I am religious. But my first assumption is that God is beyond my ability to comprehend. My second assumption is that there are "common truths" in most religions. My third assumption is that to some degree most religions have been corrupted by men who have added structure and boiler plate in order to help them maintain power and control.
(1)
(0)
Read This Next
Continue with Facebook 
Continue with Google