The Revenge of Geography: What the Map Tells Us About Coming Conflicts and the Battle Against Fate.

Random House Trade Paperback, New York, 2012.

Abstract

In this book, Robert Kaplan has offered an innovative prism through which to view global crises and understand what lies ahead for countries based on their geographical settings. He builds on the insights and theories of renowned geographers and geopolitical thinkers to retrace critical pivots in history and analyze the evolving global scene. Kaplan describes the history of the world’s power centers by examining their climates, topographies, and proximities to troubled lands. He then applies the lessons learned to the contemporary crises in Europe, Russia, China, Turkey, Iran, the Indian subcontinent, and the Middle East. Finally, Kaplan posits that the U.S. might regret engaging in conflicts in distinct regions like Iraq and Afghanistan rather than tending to its immediate neighbor Mexico, which is on the verge of becoming a semi-failed state.