In Europe's shadow - Robert D. Kaplan

Robert Kaplan first visited Romania in the 1970s, when he was a young journalist and the country was a bleak Communist backwater. What ensued was a lifelong fascination with a critical, often-overlooked country. This is a vivid blend of memoir, travelogue, journalism, and history. Kaplan illuminates the history and culture of Romania while also telling a personal story about his own intellectual development. And it's a bigger story about Europe: geography, imperialism, the question of fate in international relations, the Cold War, the Holocaust, and more. Kaplan began this book well before Russia sparked a new Cold War with its aggression in Ukraine. Romania is a metaphor for Europe's current challenge in confronting Putin, and this is the book you must read to truly understand the crisis with Russia.