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Book Review: Balkan Ghosts, By Robert D. Kaplan

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Book Review: Balkan Ghosts, By Robert D. Kaplan
About the Author - Robert D Kaplan works at Stratfor company as Chief Geopolitical Analyst which is a global intelligence company. The other feathers on his hat are being a senior fellow at the Centre for a New American Security and a contributory editor at The Atlantic. In addition, he has conducted lectures at the United States Naval Academy. In his list of achievement is the acclaim of fifteen books on foreign affairs, geopolitics and travel written by him. A few of his books are Balkan Ghosts, The Revenge of Geography, Eastward to Tartary and Monsoon.

2. About the book.

(a) Introduction. In an endeavour to comprehend the competition among the littoral states, Robert D Kaplan travelled around
…show more content…
Asia’s Cauldron attempts to bring out the intricacy encircling the South China Sea. It talks about conflicts and ideologies between nations around South China Sea for power in Asia-Pacific; and its relationship with geography. Robert D Kaplan explains, that South China Sea view its trading routes has turned into “the throat of the Western Pacific and Indian …show more content…
The author describes the importance of South China Sea, a water channel being as “as central to Asia as Mediterranean is to Europe”. With world power slowly shifting to Asia in the last decade, South China Sea in particular has become a potential conflict as “the most contested waterway”. Robert D Kaplan describes, South China Sea as “mass of connective economic tissue where global sea routes coalesce", which is valued as it is home to fishery resources, undersea oil, natural gas, and the busiest transportation routes.

China’s desire to regulate the South China Sea, through which it trades resources is an unavoidable outcome of its expanding economic strength. In coming years, he predicts, denial of unhindered access of US to parts of South China Sea. He explains a striking parallel of South China Sea conflict with fight for Panama Canal. Spain’s defeat transformed relevance of topography and trade via Pacific and Atlantic Oceans.

3. Analysis and evaluation of the

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