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“Adriatic�� is a travelogue of Robert Kaplan’s return to the key cities along the Adriatic, starting with Rimini, Ravenna, and Venice in Italy, journeying down the Croatian, Montenegro, and Albanian coasts, and ending up in the Greek Island Corfu.

The book discusses the Region’s current relationship with the European Union, the influence of Russia and China �� with its Belt and Road initiative - as well as the continued migrations from the Middle East (e.g., Syria) and North Africa, and that the Adriatic will likely be a big future destination for many migrants.

Robert Kaplan takes his readers on a personal journey that has spanned at least four decades in the Adriatic. He discusses how the historical forces have shaped the Region covering Christian Europe, Orthodox Greece and Russia, and the Muslims from Constantinople, as well as how these forces will continue to influence the region, along with new players who see the Mediterranean as less of a barrier, will cross and continue to shape Europe and the EU.

“Adriatic�� is also a personal journey of Kaplan’s where he reflects upon and at times changes his views of the region. For the Adriatic has changed since his first visits and he has changed as well. And the changes in the region and within himself appear to be both dramatic.

I liked the book for both the learning it provided me, and because I can relate to visiting a region that I once thought I knew and can now see it through “new eyes��. In this sense, the author seems to be using the book to apologise for his interpretations which he admits were flawed. I felt this when I read his book “Balkan Ghosts�� long ago, and it is good to see him revisiting this issue �� for clearly there were criticisms of this beyond my own.

I’m also more interested in traveling to this area so the book has pushed the Adriatic higher up on my travel list. When I do so I’ll revisit this book as it is full of rich references and writing about the region.

That said the book was a bit pedantic and delved more deeply into the history, literature, art, architecture, and current events, that I expected. At times I felt the author was showing off about the depth and breadth of his reading. In that sense I think he still hasn’t come to terms with the need to make this also a journey of discovery for the reader, and not only about showing how knowledgeable the writer thinks he is. Kaplan still has some maturing to do and this book is a good step in this process.

This is a good book and I recommend it.