Comparative History

How Do America’s Elites Stack Up?

Hubristic, aloof, and self-dealing—or humble, rooted, and self-sacrificing? History shows that societies rise and fall based on the character of their creative elites.

Seth D. Kaplan is a professorial lecturer in the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) at Johns Hopkins University and consultant to organizations such as the World Bank, USAID, State Department, OECD, and African Development Bank. He is currently working on a book on how social breakdown can be reversed, and can be reached at seth -at- sethkaplan.org.