On America's world map, the Western Hemisphere lies front and center, while the Indian Ocean region all but disappears, reflecting the geopolitical focus of the past century. In this pivotal examination, however, the author of Asia's Cauldron and The Revenge of Geography argues that in the 21st century, that focus will fundamentally change. The dynamic area known as "Monsoon Asia"—including India, Pakistan, China, Indonesia, Burma, Oman, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Tanzania—will become ever more crucial to American power. It is here that the fight for democracy, energy independence, and religious freedom will be lost or won, posits Robert Kaplan, and it is here that American foreign policy must concentrate if the United States is to remain relevant in an ever-changing world.

"A sweeping narrative [that] deftly weaves history, reportage, and grand strategy ... into a coherent portrait of an undercovered region whose importance will only grow in the decades to come."—Foreign Policy