
Asia's Cauldron
The South China Sea and the End of a Stable Pacific
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Narrated by:
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Michael Prichard
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By:
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Robert D. Kaplan
About this listen
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 900 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 21st century, and their implications for global peace and stability.
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.
©2014 Robert D. Kaplan (P)2014 TantorListeners also enjoyed...
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detailed primer on the greater 'Middle East'
- By Stevon on 02-01-24
By: Robert D. Kaplan
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Adriatic
- A Concert of Civilizations at the End of the Modern Age
- By: Robert D. Kaplan
- Narrated by: Arthur Morey
- Length: 11 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
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In this insightful travelogue, Robert D. Kaplan, geopolitical expert and bestselling author of Balkan Ghosts and The Revenge of Geography, turns his perceptive eye to a region that for centuries has been a meeting point of cultures, trade, and ideas. He undertakes a journey around the Adriatic Sea, through Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Montenegro, Albania, and Greece, to reveal that far more is happening in the region than most news stories let on.
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Good Observations and Hidden Gems
- By Delphine C. Lucas on 05-11-22
By: Robert D. Kaplan
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Waste Land
- A World in Permanent Crisis
- By: Robert D. Kaplan
- Narrated by: Robert Petkoff
- Length: 6 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
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We are entering a new era of global cataclysm in which the world faces a deadly mix of war, climate change, great power rivalry, rapid technological advancement, the end of both monarchy and empire, and countless other dangers. In Waste Land, Robert D. Kaplan, geopolitical expert and author of more than twenty books on world affairs, incisively explains how we got here and where we are going.
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Climate / Population Alarmism in a Mask
- By ElovesK on 02-07-25
By: Robert D. Kaplan
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The Good American
- The Epic Life of Bob Gersony, the U.S. Government's Greatest Humanitarian
- By: Robert D. Kaplan
- Narrated by: Eric Jason Martin
- Length: 17 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
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From the New York Times best-selling author of The Revenge of Geography comes a sweeping yet intimate story of the most influential humanitarian you’ve never heard of - Bob Gersony, who spent four decades in crisis zones around the world.
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Great biography, biased journalism
- By W. McConnell on 09-09-21
By: Robert D. Kaplan
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When China Rules the World
- The End of the Western World and the Birth of a New Global Order
- By: Martin Jacques
- Narrated by: Scott Peterson
- Length: 16 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
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According to even the most conservative estimates, China will overtake the United States as the world's largest economy by 2027 and will ascend to the position of world economic leader by 2050. But the full repercussions of China's ascendancy-for itself and the rest of the globe-have been surprisingly little explained or understood.
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Lucid explanation of global economic trends
- By David Blake on 01-04-10
By: Martin Jacques
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The End
- The Defiance and Destruction of Hitler's Germany, 1944-1945
- By: Ian Kershaw
- Narrated by: Sean Pratt
- Length: 18 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
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From the preeminent Hitler biographer, a fascinating and original exploration of how the Third Reich was willing and able to fight to the bitter end of World War II. Countless books have been written about why Nazi Germany lost World War II, yet remarkably little attention has been paid to the equally vital question of how and why it was able to hold out as long as it did.
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Engrossing yet horrifying
- By Liz on 10-14-11
By: Ian Kershaw
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The Tragic Mind
- Fear, Fate, and the Burden of Power
- By: Robert D. Kaplan
- Narrated by: John Chancer
- Length: 3 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
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Some books emerge from a lifetime of hard-won knowledge. Robert D. Kaplan has learned, from a career spent reporting on wars, revolutions, and international politics in Europe, the Middle East, and East Asia, that the essence of geopolitics is tragedy. In The Tragic Mind, he employs the works of ancient Greek dramatists, Shakespeare, German philosophers, and the modern classics to explore the central subjects of international politics: order, disorder, rebellion, ambition, loyalty to family and state, violence, and the mistakes of power.
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Incredible failures in revision for audiobook
- By Marcos Nolasco on 02-13-23
By: Robert D. Kaplan
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How Asia Works
- Success and Failure in the World's Most Dynamic Region
- By: Joe Studwell
- Narrated by: Nigel Patterson
- Length: 11 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
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In How Asia Works, Joe Studwell distills extensive research into the economics of nine countries - Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, Vietnam, and China - into an accessible narrative that debunks Western misconceptions, shows what really happened in Asia and why, and for once makes clear why some countries have boomed while others have languished.
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The best economic development book I’ve ever seen
- By Jay on 02-17-20
By: Joe Studwell
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Danger Zone
- The Coming Conflict with China
- By: Hal Brands, Michael Beckley
- Narrated by: Nancy Wu
- Length: 8 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
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The Sino-American contest is driven by clashing geopolitical interests and a stark ideological dispute over whether authoritarianism or democracy will dominate the twenty-first century. But both history and China's current trajectory suggest that this rivalry will reach its moment of maximum danger in the 2020s. The Chinese challenge will most likely prove more manageable than many pessimists currently believe—but during the 2020s, the pace of Sino-American conflict will accelerate, and the prospect of war will be frighteningly real.
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Quality control issues
- By Rock Island on 09-17-22
By: Hal Brands, and others
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In the Dragon's Shadow
- Southeast Asia in the Chinese Century
- By: Sebastian Strangio
- Narrated by: Joe Barrett
- Length: 12 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
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A timely look at the impact of China's booming emergence on the countries of Southeast Asia.
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Great book
- By Alex Noble on 12-13-20
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The Cold War
- A New History
- By: John Lewis Gaddis
- Narrated by: Jay Gregory, Alan Sklar
- Length: 9 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
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Drawing on new and often startling information from newly opened Soviet, Eastern European, and Chinese archives, this thrilling account explores the strategic dynamics that drove the Cold War, provides illuminating portraits of its major personalities, and offers much fresh insight into its most crucial events. Riveting, revelatory, and wise, it tells a story whose lessons it is vitally necessary to understand as America once more faces an implacable ideological enemy.
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WOW
- By Cordell eddings on 10-13-07
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Balkan Ghosts
- A Journey Through History
- By: Robert D. Kaplan
- Narrated by: Nigel Patterson
- Length: 12 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
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From the assassination that triggered World War I to the ethnic warfare in Serbia, Bosnia, and Croatia, the Balkans have been the crucible of the 20th century, the place where terrorism and genocide first became tools of policy. Chosen as one of the Best Books of the Year by the New York Times, and greeted with critical acclaim as "the most insightful and timely work on the Balkans to date" (The Boston Globe), Kaplan's prescient, enthralling, and often chilling political travelogue is already a modern classic.
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Anti religious/anti catholic hit piece
- By Daniel Calvert on 05-04-21
By: Robert D. Kaplan
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The Long Game
- China's Grand Strategy to Displace American Order
- By: Rush Doshi
- Narrated by: Kyle Tait
- Length: 18 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
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In The Long Game, Rush Doshi draws from a rich base of Chinese primary sources, including decades worth of party documents, leaked materials, memoirs by party leaders, and a careful analysis of China's conduct to provide a history of China's grand strategy since the end of the Cold War.
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fresh perspective, grand strategic view
- By ndru1 on 02-05-22
By: Rush Doshi
What listeners say about Asia's Cauldron
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- Acteon
- 10-22-14
Informative and worthwhile
If you could sum up Asia's Cauldron in three words, what would they be?
Informative, stimulating, important subject
Did the narration match the pace of the story?
It's fine
Any additional comments?
I learned a lot about a part of the world that is much more important than I had imagined. I recommend it to anyone interested in what is going on in the world today.
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- Stephan Avorkliya
- 09-08-16
Very good overview of the current situation
Hearing the individual history of each of the Nation States was very interesting. I only wish there was more about the dynamic of the group of nations as a whole at the end.
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- B. Dillon
- 09-26-19
Enlightening!
Portrays a very interesting mixture of a part of the world I'm unfamiliar with. Fascinating.
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- chetyarbrough.blog
- 01-01-15
BALANCE OF POWER
Balance of power is the overriding theme of Robert Kaplan’s book, "Asia’s Cauldron". Kaplan’s view of the world is consistent (read The Revenge of Geography) but the principal of balance of power seems confused with military strength that is more relevant in history than in the modern world. With China replacing the former U.S.S.R., Kaplan seems determined to recreate an arms race.
The weakness of Kaplan’s argument for a balance of power is that power is narrowly defined as military capability. Information is power in the 21st century; military prowess is supplemental rather than primary in any hegemonic’ race for supremacy.
Focusing on an arms race because of concern over naval supremacy in the South China Sea is a waste of public dollars that should be spent addressing the needs of a rising middle class; not to mention, regulation of human’ greed and corruption. China seems to recognize the importance of regulation in their recent anti-corruption crack down; i.e. America should invest in information about China’s expanding middle class and how their success or failure may translate to American’ solution to a pending crises.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Jim W
- 04-22-21
A Trip Thru the South China Sea
Excellent book giving a timely review of one of the most critical and most tense areas in the world.
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- Dewey
- 02-26-21
Brilliant as usual
Kaplan has a talent for merging travel writing with current event reporting, history, and political science. A good in depth look at a very important region.
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- Michael Boyd
- 07-06-17
Fascinating and relevant
Having an interest in the current South China Sea news, I was very pleased with this book and its wide scope. Each chapter is broadens the worldview and makes a messy issue understandable.
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1 person found this helpful
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- mark kortink
- 07-31-17
informative and organised
4 stars due to style rather than substance. A quaint academic style of writing and narration that gives the feel of far removed professors discussing geopolitics over a cigar and port next to the log fire at the lodge in Vermont. But very informative and well organised, and i would recommend it to anyone, pays to keep a map handy though.
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- Fred Rutkovsky
- 09-08-21
interesting
interesting survey of the nation's around the South China Sea from c 2014. Leans more on military than cultural
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- Andy
- 12-02-20
Exceptional Depiction
Robert Kaplan does it again. He provides an exceptional depiction of the complexity that is the Asia-Pacific region focused on the nations surrounding the South China Sea. The book reads and listens with ease as the author transitions between antiquity and the 21st Century, always relating it to the challenges facing the United States. A MUST READ for anyone with interest in geopolitics, even if this isn’t your region of focus.
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