Q&A With Robert Kaplan on Geopolitics in the Indian Ocean
Gillian Roberts-Gibson: Your piece argues for a strong U.S. presence in the Indian Ocean. But what would the region look like without such a presence? From the strict perspective of U.S. national interest, does it really matter what happens in the Indian Ocean? In other words, if China and India collide, why should any American care?
A: Without a strong U.S. diplomatic, economic, and military presence in Asia and the Indian Ocean, the region would be far less stable and at the mercy of tensions between dynamically growing and highly nationalistic states. Here is the heartland of the world economy in the twenty-first century, which affects all of our standards of living, so we must care what happens here. For example, a war between North and South Korea or serious naval incidents between India and China could have a highly negative effect on world stock markets. Our presence is crucial to keeping this region at peace so that it can develop further, as I foresee, into a vital intersection point of energy transfers. Precisely because of the growth of populations and future pipeline networks, Asia will be an organic whole, which means that if conflict does break out, it can spread rapidly. In other words, as opportunities rise, so do dangers. The United States will be more important than ever in keeping the peace.
...contd at foreignaffairs.com |
