On the world maps common in America, the Western Hemisphere lies front
and center, while the Indian Ocean region all but disappears. This
convention reveals the geopolitical focus of the now-departed twentieth
century, but in the twenty-first century that focus will fundamentally
change.

In this pivotal examination of the countries known as "Monsoon
Asia"—which include India, Pakistan, China, Indonesia, Burma, Oman, Sri
Lanka, Bangladesh, and Tanzania—bestselling author Robert D. Kaplan
shows how crucial this dynamic area has become to American power. 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 the United States is to remain relevant in an
ever-changing world. From the Horn of Africa to the Indonesian
archipelago and beyond, Kaplan exposes the effects of population growth,
climate change, and extremist politics on this unstable region,
demonstrating why Americans can no longer afford to ignore this
important area of the world.