Asia's Cauldron

From Robert D. Kaplan, named one of the world’s Top 100 Global Thinkers by Foreign Policy magazine, comes a penetrating look at the volatile region that will dominate the future of geopolitical conflict.

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 nine hundred trillion...

From Robert D. Kaplan, named one of the world’s Top 100 Global Thinkers by Foreign Policy magazine, comes a penetrating look at the volatile region that will dominate the future of geopolitical conflict.

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 nine hundred 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 twenty-first century, and their implications for global peace and stability. One of the world’s most perceptive foreign policy experts, Kaplan interprets America’s interests in Asia in the context of an increasingly assertive China. He explains how the region’s unique geography fosters the growth of navies but also impedes aggression. And he draws a striking parallel between China’s quest for hegemony in the South China Sea and the United States’ imperial adventure in the Caribbean more than a century ago.

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.

Advance praise for Asia’s Cauldron

“Asia’s Cauldron is a perfect summation of the present turbulent moment in history, when the World War II security structure is beginning a rapid transformation. Kaplan engages the striking possibilities of where the current confrontation between China and Japan could lead, and underscores the point that this is a lot more significant than a simple border dispute.”—Paul Bracken, Yale University, author of The Second Nuclear Age

“Master global strategist Robert D. Kaplan turns his gaze to the bubbling heat of the South China Sea in his latest tour de force. Asia’s Cauldron deconstructs the extreme volatility of this enormous, dangerous, and vital maritime space.”—Admiral James Stavridis, United States Navy (Ret.), dean of the Fletcher School at Tufts University and Supreme Allied Commander of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, 2009–2013

作者簡介

羅柏‧卡普蘭（Robert D. Kaplan）

《外交政策》（Foreign Policy）雜誌在2011至2012年間將他選為全球百大思想家，是美國資深的記者、地緣政治專家，並為私人全球情報分析機構「策略預測公司」（Stratfor）的首席分析師。

2009至2011年他服務於美國國防部的「國防政策委員會」（Defense Policy Board）。2008年起他為華盛頓的「新美國安全研究中心」（Center for a New American Security）資深研究員。2006至2008之間他任教於美國海軍學院（United States Naval Academy）。

過去三十年間，他為《大西洋》（The Atlantic）月刊的記者，撰述分見於《華盛頓郵報》、《紐約時報》、《新共和》（The New Republic）、《...

作者簡介

羅柏‧卡普蘭（Robert D. Kaplan）

《外交政策》（Foreign Policy）雜誌在2011至2012年間將他選為全球百大思想家，是美國資深的記者、地緣政治專家，並為私人全球情報分析機構「策略預測公司」（Stratfor）的首席分析師。

2009至2011年他服務於美國國防部的「國防政策委員會」（Defense Policy Board）。2008年起他為華盛頓的「新美國安全研究中心」（Center for a New American Security）資深研究員。2006至2008之間他任教於美國海軍學院（United States Naval Academy）。

過去三十年間，他為《大西洋》（The Atlantic）月刊的記者，撰述分見於《華盛頓郵報》、《紐約時報》、《新共和》（The New Republic）、《國家利益》（The National Interest）、《外交事務》（Foreign Affairs）等重要報章雜誌，觀點經常引起相關政治、媒體、學術界的討論。

作者曾實地採訪中東、兩伊戰爭、巴爾幹半島、前蘇聯與阿富汗戰爭等戰略要地與新聞前線，超過十五本著作，曾在台灣出版的包括：《戰之華︰美國帝國主義大戰略》（2002，時報）、《世界的盡頭：種族與文化的邊境之旅》（2015，馬可孛羅）

譯者簡介

林添貴

國立台灣大學畢業，歷任企業高階主管及新聞媒體資深編輯人。譯作近百本，包括《蔣介石與現代中國的奮鬥》、《裕仁天皇》、《季辛吉大外交》(合譯)、《大棋盤》、《李潔明回憶錄》、《轉向：從尼克森到柯林頓美中關係揭密》、《南海：21世紀的亞洲火藥庫與中國稱霸的第一步？》、《2049百年馬拉松》、《美國世紀的終結？》等數。