On the world maps common in America, the Indian Ocean all
but disappears. The Western Hemisphere lies front and
center, while the Indian Ocean region is relegated to the
edges, split up along the maps’ outer reaches. This
convention reveals the geopolitical focus of the
now-departed twentieth century, for it was in the Atlantic
and Pacific theaters that the great wars of that era were
lost and won. Thus, many Americans are barely aware of the
Indian Ocean at all.
But in the twenty-first century
this will fundamentally change. In Monsoon, a pivotal
examination of the Indian Ocean region and the countries
known as “Monsoon Asia,” bestselling author Robert D. Kaplan
deftly shows how crucial this dynamic area has become to
American power in the twenty-first century. Like the monsoon
itself, a cyclical weather system that is both destructive
and essential for growth and prosperity, the rise of these
countries (including India, Pakistan, China, Indonesia,
Burma, Oman, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Tanzania) represents
a shift in the global balance that cannot be ignored. The
Indian Ocean area will be the true nexus of world power and
conflict in the coming years. It is here that the fight for
democracy, energy independence, and religious freedom will
be lost or won, and it is here that American foreign policy
must concentrate if America is to remain dominant in an
ever-changing world.
From the Horn of Africa to
the Indonesian archipelago and beyond, Monsoon explores the
multilayered world behind the headlines. Kaplan offers
riveting insights into the economic and naval strategies of
China and India and how they will affect U.S. interests. He
provides an on-the-ground perspective on the more volatile
countries in the region, plagued by weak infrastructures and
young populations tempted by extremism. This, in one of the
most nuclearized areas of the world, is a dangerous
mix.
The map of this fascinating region contains
multitudes: Here lies the entire arc of Islam, from the
Sahara Desert to the Indonesian archipelago, and it is here
that the political future of Islam will most likely be
determined. Here is where the five-hundred-year reign of
Western power is slowly being replaced by the influence of
indigenous nations, especially India and China, and where a
tense dialogue is taking place between Islam and the United
States.
With Kaplan’s incisive mix of policy
analysis, travel reportage, sharp historical perspective,
and fluid writing, Monsoon offers a thought-provoking
exploration of the Indian Ocean as a strategic and
demographic hub and an in-depth look at the issues that are
most pressing for American interests both at home and
abroad. Exposing the effects of explosive population growth,
climate change, and extremist politics on this unstable
region—and how they will affect our own interests—Monsoon is
a brilliant, important work about an area of the world
Americans can no longer afford to ignore.
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