Asia's Cauldron

The South China Sea and the End of a Stable Pacific

By: Robert D. Kaplan

Narrated by: Michael Prichard

Over the last decade, the center of world power has been quietly shifting from Europe to Asia. With oil reserves of several billion barrels, an estimated 900 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, and several centuries' worth of competing territorial claims, the South China Sea in particular is a simmering pot of potential conflict. The underreported military buildup in the area where the Western Pacific meets the Indian Ocean means that it will likely be a hinge point for global war and peace for the foreseeable future.

In Asia's Cauldron, Robert D. Kaplan offers up a vivid snapshot of the nations surrounding the South China Sea, the conflicts brewing in the region at the dawn of the 21st century, and their implications for global peace and stability.

To understand the future of conflict in East Asia, Kaplan argues, one must understand the goals and motivations of its leaders and its people. Part travelogue, part geopolitical primer, Asia's Cauldron takes us on a journey through the region's boom cities and ramshackle slums: From Vietnam, where the superfueled capitalism of the erstwhile colonial capital, Saigon, inspires the geostrategic pretensions of the official seat of government in Hanoi, to Malaysia, where a unique mix of authoritarian Islam and Western-style consumerism creates quite possibly the ultimate postmodern society; and from Singapore, whose "benevolent autocracy" helped foster an economic miracle, to the Philippines, where a different brand of authoritarianism under Ferdinand Marcos led not to economic growth but to decades of corruption and crime.

At a time when every day's news seems to contain some new story - large or small - that directly relates to conflicts over the South China Sea, Asia's Cauldron is an indispensable guide to a corner of the globe that will affect all of our lives for years to come.

©2014 Robert D. Kaplan (P)2014 Tantor

Critic reviews

"A riveting, multitextured look at an underexamined region of the world and, perhaps, at the 'anxious, complicated world' of the future." ( Booklist)

Informative and worthwhile

If you could sum up Asia's Cauldron in three words, what would they be?

Informative, stimulating, important subject

Did the narration match the pace of the story?

It's fine

Any additional comments?

I learned a lot about a part of the world that is much more important than I had imagined. I recommend it to anyone interested in what is going on in the world today.

Very good overview of the current situation

Hearing the individual history of each of the Nation States was very interesting. I only wish there was more about the dynamic of the group of nations as a whole at the end.

Enlightening!

Portrays a very interesting mixture of a part of the world I'm unfamiliar with. Fascinating.

BALANCE OF POWER

Balance of power is the overriding theme of Robert Kaplan’s book, "Asia’s Cauldron". Kaplan’s view of the world is consistent (read The Revenge of Geography) but the principal of balance of power seems confused with military strength that is more relevant in history than in the modern world. With China replacing the former U.S.S.R., Kaplan seems determined to recreate an arms race.

The weakness of Kaplan’s argument for a balance of power is that power is narrowly defined as military capability. Information is power in the 21st century; military prowess is supplemental rather than primary in any hegemonic’ race for supremacy.

Focusing on an arms race because of concern over naval supremacy in the South China Sea is a waste of public dollars that should be spent addressing the needs of a rising middle class; not to mention, regulation of human’ greed and corruption. China seems to recognize the importance of regulation in their recent anti-corruption crack down; i.e. America should invest in information about China’s expanding middle class and how their success or failure may translate to American’ solution to a pending crises.

A Trip Thru the South China Sea

Excellent book giving a timely review of one of the most critical and most tense areas in the world.