Book #4: Asia's Cauldron: The South China Sea and the End of a Stable Pacific by Robert D. Kaplan

Pages: 256

Published: 2015

From Booklist: "Foreign affairs scholar Kaplan considers the geopolitics of the South China Sea and makes a compelling argument that the strategically important body of water is likely to become the “Mitteleuropa of the twenty-first century,” a flashpoint for future regional power struggles with serious international [ramifications]. There are several reasons for this: a broad shift away from land wars in favor of less overt maritime territorial claims, China’s [gradual] but unrelenting military buildup, the sheer volume of tonnage passing through the South China Sea, and [reducing] American budgets and appetite for global naval hegemony. Though much of the groundwork for his thesis was laid in Monsoon (2010), his book on the Indian Ocean, here Kaplan pays particular attention to Vietnam (the region’s emergent power), Malaysia (its success story), the Philippines (its failed state), and Taiwan (its “Berlin”). In support of some of his conclusions, he offers statistics and the logic of realpolitik; for others, travel-diary anecdotes or historical, even classical, analogy. The result is a riveting, multitextured [presentation of] an underexamined region of the world and, perhaps, at the “anxious, complicated world” of the future."

From Arnold: "Kaplan provides a compelling chef’s tour of the South China Sea. He has a knack for drawing out the essential political and cultural [traits] of each country without veering into essentialism. I found his chapter on Malaysia – ironically, one of the less consequential disputants in the region – to be particularly insightful in its ability to [explain] the potential contradictions in Malaysian modernity and Malay Islam. I found the discussion of each government’s attitude towards military power to be particularly illuminating. Kaplan seems able to obtain [genuine] insights from key policymakers about their country’s relationship with China and the U.S."

I chose this book because it offers insight into the geopolitics of a specific region and discusses contemporary issues as well as possible future conflicts. From this book I would hope to learn how to recognize patterns in international relations and how future conflicts are predicted.