A review by liberrydude
Asia's Cauldron: The South China Sea and the End of a Stable Pacific by Robert D. Kaplan

4.0

Took me awhile to absorb all this insightful discussion on the now and future of the Western Pacific. Kaplan should be the NSA for POTUS; not those unknowledgeable amateurs Obama has employed. Kaplan has chapters on each of the major players except for Indonesia, Australia, and India. These would include: Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, the Philippines, and Taiwan. It's all about China feeling entitled to a sphere of influence with Vietnam being the most aggressive in push-back. He starts out with a chapter about Indian influence in Vietnam and ends with an epilogue in Borneo. He never really discusses India as a naval power which is surprising since he makes a big deal about the linking or connecting of the two spheres of influence, India and China, in the South China Sea. There's a naval race going on in this area much like the European powers conducted in between the world wars. And nobody knows about it in the media or press. Except for China's close encounters with the US Navy it's pretty much the big story that nobody seems to care about in the American public. Japan's navy is bigger than the UK. Who would have known that? Vietnam and Malaysia are buying submarines and so is Singapore, which has mandatory conscription. All to contend with China. The Philippines is the most bereft of all the players. The rise of China is inevitable and it will be interesting to see if internal matters or economic matters will dissuade or distract China from its intense naval build-up. China's claims for areas in the South China Sea seem pretty unrealistic from both history and geography. Just like Ethiopia and Eritrea fought over dirt, some of the boundary disputes here are over islands that are submerged half the time. Wonder what global warming and rising water levels will do to China's plan.