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Prominent, Award-Winning Journalist in International Affairs, Robert D. Kaplan to Speak April 4

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Prominent, Award-Winning Journalist in International Affairs, Robert D. Kaplan to Speak April 4

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Journalist, author, and current editor of the Atlantic Monthly, Robert D. Kaplan will speak on “The Near-Future of the U.S. Military,” at the Frank J. and Sylvia T. Pasquerilla Lecture Series being held at 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 4, in the Living/Learning Center on the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown campus.

The lecture and 6:30 p.m. reception are free of charge and open to the public.

Born in 1952, Mr. Kaplan is a prominent, controversial American journalist.  He is the best-selling author of 10 books on international affairs and travel, translated into 20 languages.  His latest book, Imperial Grunts: The American Military on the Ground, is the first in a series of books about the U.S. Military, published by Random House.  In this book, Mr. Kaplan tells of U.S. Special Forces on the ground across the globe in Iraq, Colombia, and Mongolia.  He predicts that the age of mass infantry warfare is probably over and has said that the conflict in Iraq caught the U.S. Army in between being a “dinosaur” and a “light and lethal force of the future.” 

Demand for Mr. Kaplan’s unorthodox analysis became more popular after the September 11, 2001 attacks on New York City and Washington, D.C.  In his book Warrior Politics: Why Leadership Demands a Pagan Ethos, published shortly after 9/11, he offered the opinion that political and business leaders should discard Christian/Jewish morality in public decision-making in favor of a pagan morality focused on the morality of the result rather than the morality of the means.  He also published a pure travel book titled Mediterranean Winter.

His writings have been featured in The Washington Post, The New York Times, The New Republic, The National Interest, and The Wall Street Journal, among other newspapers and publications.  His more controversial essays about the nature of U.S. power have spurred debate in academia, the media, and the highest levels of government.  He was a recipient of the State Department’s Distinguished Public Service Award for Contributions to international affairs.

He has been a consultant to the U.S. Army’s Special Forces Regiment, the U.S. Air Force, and the U.S. Marines.  He has lectured at military war colleges, the FBI, the National Security Agency, the Pentagon’s Joint Staff, the CIA, major universities, and business forums.  He also delivered the Secretary of State’s Open Forum Lecture at the U.S. State Department.

Kaplan is the recipient of the 2001 Greenway-Winship Award for Excellence in international reporting. In 2002, he was awarded the State Department's Distinguished Public Service Award for outstanding contributions to international affairs.

In 2004, Mr. Kaplan joined U.S. Marines as they stormed Fallujah.  In “Five Days in Fallujah,” the article he later filed for the Atlantic Monthly, he described his experiences there and offered insight into the culture and operating style of the Marines, as well as thoughts on the larger picture of the military situation in Iraq.

A question-and-answer session with book signing will follow the lecture.  His book, Imperial Grunts: The American Military on the Ground, is available at the UPJ Book Center and also will be available for purchase on site.  The Book Center, located on the lower level of the UPJ Student Union, is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

The Frank J. and Sylvia T. Pasquerilla Lecture Series was established in 1999 to bring speakers of renown in all academic disciplines to the area.  Upon announcing the gift, Mark E. Pasquerilla said, “Our endowment for a lecture series should enable large intellectual personalities to visit the area.  Imagine Stephen Hawking or a Nobel Prize laureate speaking in Johnstown for the first time.  It is important to fill one’s life with inspiring, unforgettable moments.  Hopefully, our gift will do this for some of the students at UPJ.”

Past speakers in the lecture include economic historian Niall Ferguson; internationally-known author Charles McCarry; best-selling author Robert Kagan; veteran case officer of the CIA’s Directorate of Operations and author Robert Baer; author and journalist Peter Bergen; political consultant David Garth, and author and critic Stanley Crouch.

Advance interviews may be arranged by contacting the Office of Marketing and Public Relations at 814-269-2080.

Founded in 1927, the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown is a four-year, degree-granting college of the University of Pittsburgh with an enrollment of approximately 3,200.  The university offers more than 40 majors and is known for its engineering technology, education, humanities, natural and social sciences degree programs.  UPJ has been ranked “Third in the North” among public comprehensive colleges and universities, northern region, by U.S. News and World Report, America’s Best Colleges, 2006.
Posted by Shook, Kimberly on 3/14/2006 4:00:00 PM


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