I have to protest this mischaracterisation of Robert D. Kaplan's body of work. Kaplan is a hard-nosed realist who doesn't always call for invading other countries. He's successfully carved out his own unique niche in foreign policy writing, which is calling for a new defence procurement programme or the expansion of an existing programme in every single column.

More ships = 1,000 ship navy for the 'great game' part of The Great Game and the Long War. Which is the paradigm Kaplan thinks in and much of the US military-industrial complex seems to be thinking in, up to the chairman of the JCS and the US NATO ambassador.

Remember, these are the 'centrists'.